The tallest torii in Japan, 33.9 metres, where the shrine stood before 1889.
The shrine, founded in legendary times according to tradition, stood until 1889 on a small island between the Kumano and Otonashi rivers, called Ōyunohara. A flood that year destroyed most of the buildings: the four that survived were rebuilt on the hill where the shrine stands today. At Ōyunohara, the original site, the tallest reinforced-concrete torii in Japan has stood since 2000 (a torii is the gateway that marks the entrance to a sacred Shinto area): 33.9 metres high and 42 wide. The shrine venerates, among others, Ke-tsumiko-no-Ōkami, and its emblem, the three-legged crow Yatagarasu, inspired the logo of the Japanese football association.
One of the three great shrines of the Kumano Sanzan (together with Nachi Taisha and Hayatama Taisha), the destination of the Kumano Kodō pilgrimage. It is classed as a 式内社 of 名神大社 rank in the Engishiki (10th century) and was raised to 官幣大社 in 1915. It is in the city of Tanabe, in the former municipality of Hongū.
ℹ️ Free entry to the shrine. Bus from Kii-Tanabe (about 2 hours) or from Shingū (about 80 minutes). Ōyunohara and the great torii are about 1 km on foot from the present shrine, along the river.
🚉 Hongu Taisha-mae · 8 min walk
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