Waves and tides have carved 1.2 km of terraced caves, the setting of a legend of demons.
The waves of the Kumano Sea have carved into the rock a row of caves arranged in terraces along 1.2 km of coast, raised over time by movements of the Earth's crust: a path runs through them all, with a view of the sea at every opening. Shichirimihama beach begins at the southern end. Legend has it that here the general Sakanoue no Tamuramaro killed the pirate Tagamaru, feared as a demon: hence the name, ‘demon's castle’.
A Natural Monument since 1935 and a Place of Scenic Beauty since 1958 (with the addition of the Shishi Iwa formation), since 2004 it has been part of the UNESCO site of the Kii Mountains, as a coastal stage of the Iseji route.
ℹ️ Open access, free of charge, always open; check sea conditions before walking the lowest stretch, which is exposed to the waves in a storm surge. Bus from Kumano, 5 minutes; in spring the path blooms with four varieties of cherry.
🚉 Kumanoshi · 32 min walk
Holidays in Japan? Plan them with us.Over 2,000 real places, a day-by-day itinerary.FreeOpen the map →Sources: ja.wikipedia.org · blog.gaijinpot.com
Nearby
Shichirimihama1.5 kmphoto by Kouchiumi at Japanese Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
Hana no Iwaya Jinja3.1 kmphoto by Tawashi2006 · CC BY-SA 3.0