{"id":35748,"date":"2024-09-08T04:52:43","date_gmt":"2024-09-08T08:52:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/how-to-walk-the-kumano-kodo-japans-most-sacred-pilgrimage-trail\/08\/09\/2024\/"},"modified":"2024-09-08T04:52:43","modified_gmt":"2024-09-08T08:52:43","slug":"how-to-walk-the-kumano-kodo-japans-most-sacred-pilgrimage-trail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/how-to-walk-the-kumano-kodo-japans-most-sacred-pilgrimage-trail\/08\/09\/2024\/","title":{"rendered":"How to walk the Kumano Kodo, Japan&#8217;s most sacred pilgrimage trail"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure class=\"caas-figure\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"caas-img-container caas-img-lightbox noheight\" data-lightbox-src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/f4.VD1_UV6YwOZRH8NkfOQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTI0MDA-\/https:\/\/i.natgeofe.com\/n\/e368a9be-1613-4132-82e7-a05245f59a47\/japaneyewitnessfamily.jpg\"><span class=\"caas-img-wrapper\"><button class=\"link caas-lightbox\" aria-label=\"View larger image\" data-ylk=\"sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;elm:expand;itc:1\"><span class=\"openArrows icon\"><svg width=\"22\" height=\"22\" viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\"><path d=\"M12.372 0.92C12.372 0.414 12.782 0.004 13.287 0.004L21 0L20.996 7.712C20.996 8.217 20.586 8.628 20.08 8.628C19.574 8.628 19.164 8.217 19.164 7.712V3.183L12.337 10.011L10.988 8.663L17.816 1.835H13.287C12.782 1.835 12.372 1.425 12.372 0.92ZM1.835 17.816L8.663 10.988L10.012 12.337L3.183 19.164H7.712C8.218 19.164 8.627 19.574 8.627 20.08C8.627 20.586 8.218 20.995 7.712 20.995L0 21L0.004 13.287C0.004 12.782 0.414 12.372 0.92 12.372C1.425 12.372 1.835 12.782 1.835 13.287V17.816Z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><figcaption class=\"caption-collapse\">The Kumano Kodo trail consists of six pilgrimage routes documenting more than 1,200 years of Shinto and Buddhist history with a collective of shrines, statues and traditional farmhouses. <span class=\"copyright\">Photograph by Ippei Naoi, Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>This article was produced by <i>National Geographic Traveller<\/i> (UK).<\/p>\n<p>In the hazy mid-morning sun, dappled light dances across the dank woodland soil as the tips of gangly black pines sway gently in the breeze. A crisp waft of vanilla drifts in and an elusive Japanese bush warbler makes its nasally breeding call from above, just as my guide Hatsumi Sato exclaims, \u201cKomorebi!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKomorebi!\u201d she repeats with delight, doffing her traditional conical-shaped hat as we tiptoe around the puddled path. \u201cIt\u2019s a Japanese saying for the light and shadows that pierce through the trees in low sun,\u201d she\u00a0explains, visibly moved by the conditions.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m hiking part of the fabled Kumano Kodo, a network of six pilgrimage routes that zigzag across the mountainous Kii Peninsula in southern Honshu. It\u2019s one of just two pilgrimage routes to be designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO \u2014 the other being the Camino de Santiago in Spain \u2014 and this year marks the 20th anniversary of its listing. Its well-trodden forest paths have remained largely unchanged for more than 1,000 years.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is the world\u2019s only sacred location where two religions coexist in perfect harmony,\u201d claims Hatsumi, a\u00a0seasoned Kumano Kodo host, as she pauses on the narrow forest path to unfurl a comically large map. She excitedly points out the end of the Kumano Nakahechi route on the map, some 36 miles away. \u201cThe Shinto shrine Kumano Nachi Taisha is further along, and it sits beside the famous three-storied red pagoda at the Seiganto-ji Buddhist temple. Where else would this happen?\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"caas-figure\">\n<div class=\"caas-figure-with-pb\" style=\"max-height: 1440px\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"caas-img-container caas-img-lightbox caas-img-loader portrait\" style=\"padding-bottom:150%\" data-lightbox-src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/oO7o8UGi2XzU007IMqzVJw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTI0MDA7aD0zNjAw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/national_geographic_articles_149\/c4bd0e9f02f2e96dbec815256544ba1c\"><span class=\"caas-img-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"caas-img caas-lazy has-preview\" alt=\"Red pagoda three-storied temple stood next to a waterfall in the mountains\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/l4AV4vTuYbeQCAycWjDEXg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTE0NDA-\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/national_geographic_articles_149\/c4bd0e9f02f2e96dbec815256544ba1c\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Red pagoda three-storied temple stood next to a waterfall in the mountains\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/l4AV4vTuYbeQCAycWjDEXg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTE0NDA-\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/national_geographic_articles_149\/c4bd0e9f02f2e96dbec815256544ba1c\" class=\"caas-img\"\/><button class=\"link caas-lightbox\" aria-label=\"View larger image\" data-ylk=\"sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;elm:expand;itc:1\"><span class=\"openArrows icon\"><svg width=\"22\" height=\"22\" viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\"><path d=\"M12.372 0.92C12.372 0.414 12.782 0.004 13.287 0.004L21 0L20.996 7.712C20.996 8.217 20.586 8.628 20.08 8.628C19.574 8.628 19.164 8.217 19.164 7.712V3.183L12.337 10.011L10.988 8.663L17.816 1.835H13.287C12.782 1.835 12.372 1.425 12.372 0.92ZM1.835 17.816L8.663 10.988L10.012 12.337L3.183 19.164H7.712C8.218 19.164 8.627 19.574 8.627 20.08C8.627 20.586 8.218 20.995 7.712 20.995L0 21L0.004 13.287C0.004 12.782 0.414 12.372 0.92 12.372C1.425 12.372 1.835 12.782 1.835 13.287V17.816Z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><figcaption class=\"caption-collapse\">The three-storied pagoda of the Buddhist Seiganto-ji temple stands alongside the Shinto shrine of Kumano Nachi Taisha, illustrating the harmonious relationship between the two religions. <span class=\"copyright\">Photograph by Michele Falzone, Awl Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>More than 1,200 years of Shinto and Buddhist history are documented in these mountains \u2014 which is partly why the Kumano Kodo was awarded World Heritage status. We\u2019re walking a chunk of its most popular route, the Nakahechi, which in full would take around three days to complete. It encompasses the three main shrines \u2014\u00a0Kumano Hongu Taisha, Kumano Hayatama Taisha and Kumano Nachi Taisha \u2014 known collectively as Kumano Sanzan.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the route\u2019s popularity, it had just been us earlier that morning at the starting point for the walk, a shrine called Hosshinmon-oji, whose name translates as \u2018spiritual awakening gate\u2019. It\u2019s one of 99 smaller shrines along the Kumano Kodo that are said to house the offspring of the Kumano gods \u2014 Shinto and Buddhist spirits embodied in natural elements, such as waterfalls and trees \u2014 and walking below its rustic wooden torii gate is considered to offer a spiritual rebirth. I passed through and bowed, before performing a simple worship process at the small red shrine ahead of me. As Hatsumi taught me: bow slightly, rattle the bell outside the shrine and bow again, bow two times more deeply, clap hands slowly, and bow once more. \u201cYou\u2019ve\u00a0followed in the footsteps of many before you, including the current emperor,\u201d Hatsumi said at the time. Did\u00a0I feel reborn? Not exactly, but there was time.<\/p>\n<p>Further along the trail, we pass through four miles of forest and find farming villages of traditional minka homes \u2014 Japanese wooden farmhouses \u2014 flanked by rolling hills of orchards, herb gardens and tea plantations. Silhouetted to the north are the Kii Mountains, a jagged, vegetated range separating us from the sacred Buddhist community of Koyasan, part of the same UNESCO listing as Kumano.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"caas-figure\">\n<div class=\"caas-figure-with-pb\" style=\"max-height: 640px\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"caas-img-container caas-img-lightbox caas-img-loader\" style=\"padding-bottom:67%\" data-lightbox-src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/yvvOMjz2X1qxPyTjd1c7CA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTI0MDA7aD0xNjAw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/national_geographic_articles_149\/33e9dab036027e4a7585664c07459aff\"><span class=\"caas-img-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"caas-img caas-lazy has-preview\" alt=\"Stone statue stood among stones on top of a mountain viewpoint surrounded by blue skies\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/GF2UMWbdV6QjyyobqqlKlA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MA--\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/national_geographic_articles_149\/33e9dab036027e4a7585664c07459aff\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Stone statue stood among stones on top of a mountain viewpoint surrounded by blue skies\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/GF2UMWbdV6QjyyobqqlKlA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MA--\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/national_geographic_articles_149\/33e9dab036027e4a7585664c07459aff\" class=\"caas-img\"\/><button class=\"link caas-lightbox\" aria-label=\"View larger image\" data-ylk=\"sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;elm:expand;itc:1\"><span class=\"openArrows icon\"><svg width=\"22\" height=\"22\" viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\"><path d=\"M12.372 0.92C12.372 0.414 12.782 0.004 13.287 0.004L21 0L20.996 7.712C20.996 8.217 20.586 8.628 20.08 8.628C19.574 8.628 19.164 8.217 19.164 7.712V3.183L12.337 10.011L10.988 8.663L17.816 1.835H13.287C12.782 1.835 12.372 1.425 12.372 0.92ZM1.835 17.816L8.663 10.988L10.012 12.337L3.183 19.164H7.712C8.218 19.164 8.627 19.574 8.627 20.08C8.627 20.586 8.218 20.995 7.712 20.995L0 21L0.004 13.287C0.004 12.782 0.414 12.372 0.92 12.372C1.425 12.372 1.835 12.782 1.835 13.287V17.816Z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><figcaption class=\"caption-collapse\">Statues of the sacred Jizo figure can be found along the entirety of the Kumano Kodo, greeting visitors who reach the Hyakken-gura viewpoint. <span class=\"copyright\">Photograph by Nobuaki Sumida, Awl Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>My hike along the trail has exacerbated some lower-back pain, so Hatsumi makes a point of stopping in front of Koshi-ita Jizo \u2014 one of many small stone statues beside the path depicting the Buddhist figure Jizo, often swathed in moss and dressed in tiny red woolly hats and scarves. \u201cJizo\u00a0are the guardian deities of children and weary travellers. They heal pilgrims and are made out of stone for a closer connection to the Earth,\u201d she explains, pointing to a small bundle of coins left at the statue\u2019s feet as donations. Koshi-ita Jizo is said to heal hip and back pain, so I place a five-yen coin underneath its body before we move on.<\/p>\n<p>We eventually arrive at Kumano Hongu Taisha along with a dozen other weary pilgrims holding hiking poles and trail maps. They are congregating beside a centuries-old cedar tree with a blanket of scribbled leaves at its base. \u201cThis is known as the postcard tree,\u201d says Hatsumi, as she rummages around her bag.<\/p>\n<p>She tells me the early pilgrims would write prayers on leaves here and leave them to decompose, as another connection to the Earth. Over time, the story inspired other hikers to leave their own natural \u2018postcards\u2019. Now it\u2019s my turn, says Hatsumi, passing me a cocktail stick to stencil a message onto a thick, waxy leaf I pluck from the forest floor, before placing it with the others. My back pain subsides as we both wash our hands and mouth to enter the shrine. Perhaps I am reborn, after all.<\/p>\n<p>Published in the September 2024 issue of <i>National Geographic Traveller<\/i> (UK).<\/p>\n<p>To subscribe to\u00a0<i>National Geographic Traveller<\/i>\u00a0(UK) magazine click <a href=\"https:\/\/subscriptions.natgeotraveller.co.uk\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:here;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">here<\/a>. (Available in select countries only).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/walk-kumano-kodo-japans-most-080000360.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Kumano Kodo trail consists of six pilgrimage routes documenting more than 1,200 years of Shinto and Buddhist history with a collective<br \/><button class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/how-to-walk-the-kumano-kodo-japans-most-sacred-pilgrimage-trail\/08\/09\/2024\/\">Read More &rsaquo;<\/a><\/button><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35750,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35748"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35748"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35748\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35750"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35748"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35748"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35748"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}