There are three sacred sites in the Kii Mountain range located roughly in the centre of Japan, namely the Kumano Sanzan (Three Grand Shrines of Kumano), Koyasan, and Yoshino and Omine. There, different types of religion have been fostered over many years, such as the animistic Shintoism, and Buddhism that was introduced from China and developed in a unique way in Japan, and Shugendo spread as a mixture of Shinto and Buddhism.
Since ancient times, many people have made a pilgrimage to Kumano Sanzan from all over Japan, and three major pilgrimage routes, resulting in the formation of what is currently known as the Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage.
In July 2004, the three sacred sites and the pilgrimage routes connecting them, as well as their traditional cultures, developed in harmony between nature and human beings over time, were recognised by UNESCO as shared properties of all humankind and registered on its World Heritage List as the ‘Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range’.
The Kumano Kodo Iseji Route, one of the three routes, is the path to connect Kumano Sanzan (Three Grand Shrines of Kumano) and Ise-jingu Shrine, a very special sacred site for Japanese people.
It is said that pilgrims in traditional pilgrimage clothing crossed a lot of steep mountains to get to Kumano after they had visited Ise-jingu Shrine.
Today, you can still enjoy the traditional landscapes and feel the rich history and culture of each area along the Kumano Kodo Iseji Route.
