Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range

country. Japan

year of inscription. 2004 (modification: 2016)

criteria. Cultural

This WHS marks ancient pilgrimage routes and its associated sacred sites dating back some 1,200 years. The three sacred sites of Yoshino and Omine, Kumano Sanzan, and Koyasan are set in the forests of the Kii Mountains. These sites are connected by pilgrimage routes, which are further linked to the ancient capital cities of Nara and Kyoto. Worship customs in these areas date back some 1,200 years and incorporates ancient Japanese animistic practices, Shinto traditions, as well as Buddhist rituals. Besides the three main sites, this WHS also includes pilgrimage routes and sub-routes, sacred natural objects like trees, forests, and mountains, as well as stone mausolea and stupas.

what. WHS visited (June 2023)

Kongobuji Temple 

[Canon EOS M50, 15 June 2023]

what. postcard (Japan, 2023)