28th of September to 6th of November 2024.
Distance: 963.3km. 40 days.
To the east lies a mythical and isolated country. Japan is known for its mystical creatures and culture, its samurais and ninjas, as well as its modern pop culture, often characterized by neon colors and stories in the form of manga and anime. Closely linked to the Japanese culture and history is Buddhism, which exists side by side with Shintoism, a religion that some would call a philosophy. If you visit Japan, you will gaze devoutly at the many temples, shrines and torii gates that stand out in the landscape and cities.
Map of the Kumano Kodo routes in Japan (original map taken from Wikipedia).
Japan also has its pilgrimage routes. On the island of Shikoku, pilgrims visit 88 temples in the footsteps of Kobo Daishi, the founder of the Shingon school of Buddhism. A smaller version of this can be found on Shodoshima. And then, deep in the dark, forested mountains of the Kii Peninsula south of Kyoto and Osaka, you find the historic pilgrim routes of Kumano Kodo.
- Articles from my walks on the Kumano Kodo:
- Kiiji
- Kohechi
- Ohechi
- Nakahechi
- Iseji
- (connecting the dots)
A path on the Kumano Kodo where gnarled roots forms a natural staircase, but beware of slipping or stumbling on them.
Kumano Hayatama Taisha in Shingu.
In ancient times, this part of Japan was known as Kumano, which loosely can be translated as ‘the land of bears’. Here you find the Hana-no-Iwaya rock said to be the grave of Izanami-no-Mikoto, the goddess creator of Japan. Here the Emperor Jimmu, the legendary descendant of the sun goddess Amaterasu landed and was guided over the mountains by the three-legged crow Yatagarasu to Yamato (now Nara) where he became the first emperor of Japan. On the way he discovered the Nachi-no-taki waterfalls.
Kumano Nachi Taisha at Nachisan.
At a time, three grand shrines was founded. Kumano Hayatama Taisha in Shingu, symbolizing the past. Kumano Nachi Taisha in Nachisan, symbolizing the present. And Kumano Hongu Taisha in Hongu, the future. Collectively, these are considered to be a single shrine, Kumano Sanzan, where the main deity is Amaterasu. It is also said that the Shinto gods of Kumano were manifestations of Buddhist deities, Kumano Gongen.
Kumano Hongu Taisha in Hongu.
Kumano Kodo Kiiji.
And with the founding of the Kumano Sanzan, pilgrim routes began to emerge, known as Kumano Kodo, ‘the ancient ways to Kumano’. The name of the five ancient routes are Kiiji, Nakahechi, Kohechi, Ohechi and Iseji. There is also a sixth route, Omine Okugakemichi, although that is not technically considered a part of the routes.
Kumano Kodo Kohechi.
Originally, I had planned to walk the Kumano Kodo back in 2020, but the pandemic saw an end to that plan. Additionally my original plan had been to hike all of these routes as one continuous walk. However, when looking at a map of the routes, it soon becomes apparent that making a continuous walk is not easily done. As both Osaka, Koyasan, Yoshino and Ise forms isolated branches, connecting the dots is not an easy task. Another issue is that at least the Nakahechi and Kohechi routes requires one to book accommodation well in advance, which I had to fit into my plan in terms of the rest of the routes. For the Omine Okugakemichi booking any accommodation is not possible.
Kumano Kodo Ohechi.
Kumano Kodo Nakahechi.
In the end, I managed to come up with a plan, although it required that some of the sections would need to be walked more than once. And where I could not make use of an existing path or route, I would have to make my own path in order to connect the dots. I planned to walk the routes in the following order: Kiiji, Kohechi in reverse, Omine Okugakemichi, Ohechi in reverse, Nakahechi and then Iseji in reverse.
Kumano Kodo Iseji.
Waymarks on the Kumano Kodo, these wooden poles points the way in both directions, with names both in Japanese and English and the distance. Smaller waymarks are only marked with Kumano Kodo, but points where the route goes in both directions.
Also, when I do a long distance trail, using any means of transportation other than walking is usually not an option for me. If I should make an exception to the rule it would be that the transportation is considered a part of the actual route of historical reasons. On the Kumano Kodo, the traditional boat trip down the Kumano Gawa river can be considered such a route, as it was used by pilgrims in old times for this very reason. Incorporating it into my plan solved one of the issues of having to walk sections several times.
A typical dinner to be had while on the Kumano Kodo, food is one of the highlights of walking in Japan.
An example of a room at an accommodation on the Kumano Kodo.
Then comes the inevitable fact that even the best laid out plans does not always go after the plan. And this was probably not the best laid out plan either. While on the way, I had to change my plan, letting go of my ambition to do all of the Kumano Kodo routes as a continuous walk. Upon arriving in Japan, I found out that my mind had not been where it should be. I was tired after working on a taxing project at my job, then a problem on the private plane had offset my mind as well. I realized that I had messed up some of the distances when I had estimated the time needed to walk some of the routes. This combined with a couple of other mistakes, made it not possible to accomplish my plan.
Collecting stamps is a common thing in Japan and the Kumano Kodo is no exception. You can get separate stamp books for each of the routes. To get the Dual Pilgrim certificate however, you need the special Kumano Kodo stamplet.
Along the way, hikers will encounter many of the Jizo statues watching over them while they walk.
With that being said, I still ended up walking all the five main Kumano Kodo routes and returned back home carrying with me memories from a great walk on old ancient routes of history. In the next series of articles, I will talk about my experience of the Kumano Kodo, starting with the Kiiji route.
- Articles from my walks on the Kumano Kodo:
- Kiiji
- Kohechi
- Ohechi
- Nakahechi
- Iseji
- (connecting the dots)
In Koyasan people can spend the night at a temple, here from the Koyasan Sanadabo Rengejoin temple.
