Following on from the previous issue, this topic is about the southern region of Wakayama Prefecture, Kumano.
The “Kumano Kodo” mentioned in the previous issue is a pilgrimage route developed in ancient times to reach the sanctuaries in the Kumano region, and naturally there are arrival points beyond the route.
There are three representative points of arrival: the ‘Kumano Hongu Taisha Shrine’ , the ‘Kumano Hayatama Taisha Shrine’ and the ‘Kumano Nachi Taisha Shrine’ . These are generally referred to collectively as the ‘熊野三山 / Kumano Sanzan’.
The literal translation of ‘Kumano Sanzan’ is ‘the three Kumano mountains’, but in this case it means ‘holy places’ rather than ‘mountains’.
‘山 / Zan / Mountain’ is used to refer to sacred sites in Buddhism, and is not often used to refer to Shinto shrines or Shintoism.
Nevertheless, the fact that three shrines in Kumano are referred to as ‘mountains’ indicates that the beliefs of the region, while based on Shintoism, are strongly influenced by Buddhism.
This mutual influence of two or more religions on each other is a worldwide phenomenon.
In Japan, Shintoism and Buddhism became increasingly linked from the 7th century. There was even a time when the deities of Japanese origin were thought to be incarnations of Buddhas belonging to Buddhism.
The regions where this belief remained strong were often deep in the mountains, where a method of ascetic practice called Shugendo was developed. Shugendo is a faith that aims to completely detach oneself from the mundane world and to approach the realm of the gods through rigorous ascetic practices in the mountains.
photo©Kenshiro Karayama / Wikipedia
Based on these ideas, there are still some shrines and temples today that have characteristics of both Shintoism and Buddhism. Kumano Sanzan is one of the sacred places that developed from the mixture of ancient Shinto, Buddhism and Shugendo.
Let us now take you to the three shrines that make up the Kumano Sanzan.
『Kumano Hongu Taisha』
Located in Motomiya-cho, Tanabe City. It enshrines Ketsumiko no Kami (Big God Ketsumiko) and other deities who rule Kumano.
It is said to have been built around the 4th century. It is particularly closely associated with the legend of Yatagarasu (a three-legged spirit bird), which is related to the beginning of Japanese mythology. Yatagarasu has even been adopted as the symbol of the Japanese football team.
One of Japan’s largest torii gates, standing in the nearby 大斎原 / Oyunohara area, is also a highlight.
『Kumano Hayatama Taisha』
Located in Shingu, Shingu City. It enshrines Hayatama no Kami (God of Hayatama) and other deities who rule Kumano.
The shrine is famous for its matchmaking and is said to be beneficial not only to men and women, but also to business and friendship relationships.
The shrine houses the National Treasure Hall, which houses a large number of old sacred treasures, and the natural monument Nagi tree on the grounds is said to be more than 1,000 years old.
『Kumano Nachi Taisha』
Located in Nachikatsuura-cho, Higashimuro-gun. The shrine enshrines Musumi no Kami (the great god Musumi) and other deities who rule Kumano.
The shrine is based on the belief in the Nachi waterfall as the deity, and is particularly influenced by the above-mentioned Shugendo practices. the beautiful contrast between the 133-metre waterfall and the vermilion-lacquered shrine pavilions is a typical image of the Kumano Sanzan.
The route from the Kumano Kodo to the waterfalls, introduced using Street View in the previous part, takes about 2-3 hours round trip. (Bus routes are also available.)
Another shrine that you should definitely stop by when visiting the Kumano Sanzan is the 『Kamikura Jinjya』.
It is a regent shrine of the Kumano Hayatama-taisha shrine, but has a unique majestic appearance.
It stands on the summit of Mt Kamikura, 120 metres above sea level, and to get there you have to climb 538 stone steps. Please note that the stone stairs are made up of naturally occurring rocks and the steps are irregular.
The huge rock ‘Gotobiki Iwa’, the shrine’s sacred body, is on the side of the shrine building at the top. It is worth a look.
The Fire Festival, held annually on 6 February, is renowned as an exceptionally bold and fantastical celebration.
Let me conclude with one folk tale from the Kumano region.
『The end of a liar』
Once upon a time, there was a brother and sister who lived in a place called Shimotsuyu in Kumano.
The brother and sister lost their mother early and worked hard to support their father, who was often ill.
The brother went out to the mountains every day to fell trees, while the sister took care of their father and did all the household chores, working hard and putting in a lot of effort.
But the brother’s work alone was not enough to feed the three of them.
The brother was barely eleven, and the villagers felt sorry for him, so they looked after him and encouraged him. But we couldn’t seem to make any progress with father illness.
One day, on his way back from the mountains, my brother met the most knowledgeable old lady in the village.
She was worried about my father and asked him many questions, but as they parted, she suddenly told him something like this.
‘Why don’t you pay a visit to the shrine in Kohiro? The god there is a very grateful god. I heard that for once in his life, he will grant any wish you make. You should visit him and make a wish too.”
When the elder brother heard this, he was so happy that he immediately took his sister to visit the shrine and prayed hard.
That night, the white-bearded god appeared to me in a dream.
“Impressive as always, brothers and sisters, I will grant you your wish.
You know the steep hill on the rocks, pick a yellow flower that grows on that hill, boil it and give it to Father to drink, and he will surely be cured…”
The siblings waited for dawn and climbed up the rocky slope, looking for the yellow flower here and there.
Then they found a single yellow flower on a steep cliff edge.
After much hard work, they picked the flower and hurried home to boil it for their father to drink.
Then his father’s illness was quickly cured and he regained his strength.
The siblings wept with joy…
The rumour spread quickly throughout the village, but just then, a man passing through the village on his way to Kumano heard about the story.
He said, “Well… I didn’t know there was such a convenient god. I’ll stay up all night at the shrine tonight and enjoy the blessings…”
With a wry smile on his face, he headed for the forest of the shrine.
When he reached the shrine, he said
“Yes, God, I have come all the way from Kyoto, but I have a mother who is ill and dying, and she keeps asking me every day to see a golden tree, even if it is just once, before she dies. Please grant me a tree of gold…”
After making this request, she lay down in a corner of the shrine and rested.
When he was sleeping peacefully, God appeared in his dream and said
“If your mother really said so, I will hear your wish… Look by the stone steps there tomorrow morning, and you’ll find what you want”…
When dawn broke, the man got up in a panic and rushed to the stone steps.
He saw a tree with many golden berries hanging from it, glistening and shining.
The man hugged the tree in a frenzy.
Then a villager came to pay his morning visit to the tree.
“You have something amazing! Please show us some of it…”
The man was so surprised that he hurriedly took out a large furoshiki (wrapping cloth), put it over the tree and hid it.
‘Don’t be so mean, just show us a little bit.”
The villagers ask so much that the man reluctantly says
‘Well, I don’t have a choice, I’ll just give you a glimpse. Are you surprised at how clever I am? I heard that the god here will grant you whatever filial piety you wish for, so I tricked him. You should use your brains as much as you can while you’re alive…“
The man laughed and quickly removed the wrapping cloth. On the contrary, several pairs of rotten old sandals were hanging from the tree.
The man got mad at
“Damn it! What on earth! You lying god!”
and picked up large stones and threw three or four of them into the shrine.
The villagers rushed to stop him, but the man was so mad he didn’t care what they said.
‘You bastard! You bastard!”
He threw the stones one after another, shouting.
‘Stop it already! The gods will be punished if you don’t stop. Besides, it’s your fault for deceiving the gods in the first place…’
The villagers, who had taken the traveller into their arms, changed colour.
Something terrible was happening right in front of his eyes.
The man who only moments ago was fussing is now silent and quiet.
And each strand of his hair turns into a leaf of a tree.
And his body, in the time it took him to see it, became a large tree trunk, completely solid…
The villagers were so shocked by what had happened that they sat down on the spot and trembled…
After a while, someone finally murmured.
There is no such thing as a ‘golden tree’ in this world after all. If there is, it’s something you have to nurture in your heart…”
God is not only generous and merciful.
Sometimes he is so harsh that even the devil is afraid of him.
That may be a reflection of nature itself…
『Kumano Hongu Taisha』Official website
『Kumano Hayatama Taisha』Official website