Kumano Hongū Taisha

Nihongo|Kumano Hongū Taisha|熊野本宮大社 is a Shinto shrine located in Tanabe, Wakayama Prefecture, deep in the rugged mountains of the Kii Peninsula of Japan. It is included as part of the Kumano Sanzan in the UNESCO World Heritage site Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage routes in Kii Mountain Range. The main deity enshrined is Kumano Gongen (熊野権現). All of the ancient Kumano Kodō Pilgrimage routes lead to this Grand Shrine.

It was originally located at present Nihongo|Ōyunohara|大斎原, on a sandbank at the confluence of the Kumano River and Otonashi River. In 1889 it was partially destroyed in a flood and the remaining shrine buildings were relocated at its present site.

Access

*Buses from:
**JR West, JR Central Shingū Station on Kisei Main Line
**JR-West Kii Tanabe Station on Kisei Main Line
**Nanki Shirahama Airport

External links

[http://www.tb-kumano.jp/en/index.html#2 Tanabe City Kumano Tourism Bureau] [http://www2.ocn.ne.jp/~sanzan/NTTcontents/hongu/ Official Site] (Japanese)