In a previous article I mentioned that I live in central Japan.
Central Japan may sound like some kind of developed region, but it is rather the opposite and rural.
Wakayama City as seen from the castle (The most bustling district in the prefecture)
The name of the region is Wakayama Prefecture. It is located to the south of Osaka Prefecture, a popular destination for international tourists. While Osaka Prefecture has a population of 8.7 million, Wakayama Prefecture, which is 2.5 times the size of Osaka Prefecture, has a population of only 870,000. You can see how depopulated it is.
As is probably the case in other countries, geographical factors are one reason why certain regions do not develop significantly.
Wakayama Prefecture, known in olden times as ‘Ki no Kuni’, is located in the centre of Japan, but it could not enter the historical stage because it was outside the main stream linking Edo = present-day Tokyo, kyo = Kyoto, Naniwa = Osaka and Kyushu.
Looking at this alone, it might seem that Wakayama Prefecture is a boring place with no distinctive features that do not appear in history, but this is not the case.
It is true that Wakayama was not involved in any major turning points in history that determined the course of Japan, but it was considered a “sacred place” long before the Edo and Sengoku periods.
Heading south from Osaka, there is an east-west mountain range known as the Izumi Mountains, which you cross to enter Wakayama City in Wakayama Prefecture.
It is the main city of Wakayama Prefecture and I live there.
The Izumi Mountains are at most 800 metres high, and in this day and age of well-developed transport systems, there are no problems travelling between Osaka and Wakayama.
However, if this had been 1000 years ago, things would not be as they are today.
It would have been extremely difficult to cross mountains without proper roads, and it would have been rare for anyone to go beyond the mountains, where no material benefit could be expected.
Yes, “Ki no Kuni / Wakayama Prefecture” was at that time an unknown country with trees growing far into the distance. (The word “Ki no Kuni” is said to have originated from “Land of Trees”.)
Of course, many people lived there and there was a certain amount of culture, but from the perspective of the capital (Kyoto) at that time, it must have seemed a mysterious place, far away and closed off by mountains.
In particular, the southern tip of Ki no Kuni was considered a sacred place and a place of supernatural power, as legend has it that this was the land where the first emperor landed.
Religious people were also interested in such a special place.
Shinto priests, who were related to the first emperors, and mountain ascetics established a large religious cultural sphere in the southern part of Ki no Kuni.
The people called the area Kumano…
As time went on, the religious and cultural sphere of the Kumano region developed and improved. Rumours of the Kumano area reached the ears of the aristocrats living in the capital at the time, and it soon became known as a place of pilgrimage by successive emperors and high-ranking aristocrats.
Shirahama, located on the edge of the Kumano region, also had hot springs, so it may have been recognised by the aristocrats as a place of recreation where they could refresh their bodies while coming into contact with the bounty of the gods.
The Kumano Kodo, now a World Heritage Site, also originates from a pilgrimage route created nearly 1,000 years ago.
Connecting Kyoto in the north to Ise City in Mie Prefecture in the west, the Kumano Kodo became a vast pilgrimage route with a total length of 600 km and still retains its original face today.
Since becoming a World Heritage Site and forming a sister road partnership with the pilgrimage route of Santiago de Compostela in Spain, the number of tourists from abroad has also increased. The passage of 1,000 years may have transformed the ‘mysterious land beyond the mountains’ into a ‘religious tourist destination open to the world’.
In addition to the Kumano area, Wakayama Prefecture also has Koyasan, which was founded by Kobo Daishi (a very famous monk in Japan) and established a major Buddhist sect, located about 50 km east of Wakayama City.
Wakayama Prefecture: Was it easier for such a religious culture to take root in Ki no Kuni because it was out of the way of historical upheavals?
As a resident of Wakayama Prefecture, I am happy that people from faraway foreign countries come to Kumano Kodo and other places for sightseeing, but there are only two things I would like to note.
The first is that it takes time to travel to the Kumano region.
Wakayama Prefecture is long from north to south and has simple road routes, so even within the same prefecture it takes about four hours to travel from the northern end to the southern end by car using the motorway. If you start from Osaka, it will take more than five hours to reach Kumano.
Similarly, train travel is limited, so it is necessary to estimate the time required by car plus one or two hours.
With the exception of Wakayama City and Shirahama (Tanabe City), there are few towns where you can stop and stay overnight on the way, so be sure to book accommodation in advance in the vicinity of your destination, Shingu City. Day-trip sightseeing is not practical.
Secondly, Kumano is also a sacred place, so I recommend that you visit with a quiet and peaceful mind when sightseeing.
How people feel about the gods and Buddha of other countries is up to the individual, but if you visit the place with a pious heart, I am sure the gods of the place will be happy to welcome you…
The Kumano Kodo pilgrimage routes we have introduced this time still retain much of their original character, though very few people now undertake the full pilgrimage on foot.
Within Osaka Prefecture, the remaining paths have largely been paved into modern roads, diminishing the significance of undertaking the pilgrimage on foot.
Conversely, as one enters Wakayama Prefecture and approaches Kumano, many sections remain unpaved and lie deep within the mountains. A traverse of 100 to 200 kilometres would prove a gruelling journey even for those well accustomed to mountain walking.
Furthermore, in recent years, perhaps due to global climate change, there is also the risk of bear encounters, making it advisable to avoid reckless hiking. It would be wise to use only the maintained and open sections of the ancient path.
So, to conclude today’s easy-going tour of the Kumano Kodo, let us guide you via Google Street View along the section from the Daimon-zaka car park in Nachikatsuura Town to Kumano Nachi Taisha, one of the three shrines of the Kumano Sanzan.
(Please open the link in a new browser tab rather than the Google Maps app to enjoy the experience.)
Information on the Kumano Sanzan and Takakura Shrine, which make Kumano a sacred place, along with one mysterious folk tale passed down in this region, will be featured in the next article. Thank you for reading today.