Kumano Kodo Iseji Pilgrimage Walking Tour Series – keiji

Kumano Kodo – The Best Hiking Destination in Japan!

The relatively unexplored mountains of the Kii Peninsula, located in central Japan, are home to three sacred sites. Kumano Sanzan, Koyasan, and Yoshino-Omine. These three sites have nurtured a variety of beliefs, including Shintoism, Japan’s indigenous belief which originated from a reverence for nature; Buddhism, introduced from China yet culturally reshaped in Japan, and Shugendo, which is a synthesis of both. In July 2004, these sites, the pilgrimage routes connecting them, and the cultural landscape formed over time by nature and human activity, were recognized by UNESCO as The World Heritage Sites.

What is the Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage?

The Kumano Sanzan, located deep in the south of the Kii Peninsula, has long been revered as a sacred place where the gods live and where the spirits of the dead gather to be reborn. It was believed that by overcoming the harsh path and making a pilgrimage to Kumano, a place of rebirth amid nature, one could entrust the happiness of the next life to the gods. This is the Kumano Pilgrimage.

The Story of Kumano Kodo

Kumano Sanzan is the collective name for Kumano Hongu Taisha, Kumano Hayatama Taisha, and Kumano Nachi Taisha. It was a long-desired walking route for anyone wishing to visit. Several routes are known collectively as the Kumano Kodo, a walking prayer path for pilgrims to the Kumano Sanzan. For example, there are the Kiiji, Nakahechi, Ohechi, Kohechi, Omine Okugake Michi, and Iseji. Each has its own story to tell, its difficulty level, and its unique scenery.

Why You Should Walk Iseji?

The Iseji is known as the most varied route due to its location between the sea and the mountains. It is the only way to enjoy both the coastal trails and the great mountain trails, also unique in that it offers a glimpse into the lifestyles of people in rural fishing and farming villages.

The most well-known and visited by many tourists is the Nakahechi route, but because of this, crowding has recently become a problem, as it is difficult to obtain lodging. The era and the stories of the people who walked the path are also different. In the Heian period (794-1185), aristocrats walked the Nakabeji. On the other hand, Iseji was walked by many common people in the Edo period (1600〜1868).

It is also the longest distance along the cobblestone paths of the ancient roads of yesteryear that can be enjoyed. The Ise-ji trail is not yet as crowded with tourists as the Nakahechi, so you can enjoy a more authentic hiking experience along this ancient road. It is on this gem of an ancient pilgrimage route that you can enjoy the natural beauty of the Japanese countryside and pilgrimage culture as it is.

The History of Kumano Kodo Iseji

The western route, the Kiiji and Nakahechi were the paths of the nobility, which flourished from the mid-Heian to the Kamakura periods. In contrast, the eastern route, Iseji, which became popular from the Edo period onwards, was the path of the common people, followed by travelers who had finished their Ise pilgrimage and pilgrims who had toured the 33 sacred places in the western part of the country (The Saigoku Thirty-three Kannon Pilgrimage route). Travelers changed into pilgrim attire at Tamaru, the starting point of the Ise route, and crossed several steep mountain passes on their way to Kumano, a place they had longed to visit.