Daimonzaka, Kumano Kodō

photo by Nekosuki · CC BY-SA 4.0

photo by Nekosuki · CC BY-SA 4.0

One kilometre among 800-year-old cedars: the best-preserved stretch of the Kumano Kodō.

The stretch, just over a kilometre of steps and paved path, is considered the best-preserved section of the Kumano Kodō, the pilgrimage route to the three shrines of the Kumano Sanzan. About two hundred cedars, some between 200 and 300 years old and a prefectural natural monument, line the route; the pair of ‘husband and wife’ cedars at the entrance is over 54 metres tall and is estimated to be 800 years old. In 1986 it was selected as one of the hundred best roads in Japan by the then Ministry of Construction.

Part of the Kumano Kodō (Nakahechi route) that climbs from Ichino towards Kumano Nachi Taisha, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004 as part of the ‘Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range’.

ℹ️ Free entry, open to walkers at all times. Kumano Gosho Nankai bus from Kii-Katsuura (about 20 minutes) to the start of the trail; the climb leads to Kumano Nachi Taisha and Nachi Falls.

🚉 Daimonzaka · in front of the station

Sources: ja.wikipedia.org

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