What Visiting All Three Kumano Kodo Shrines Meant Historically, and Why It Still Matters
- Home Comforts Hiking
- Jan 1
- 4 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
For more than a thousand years, the Kumano Kodo has been one of Japan’s most important pilgrimage networks. Long before modern travel or tourism, people walked these paths seeking healing, renewal, and spiritual transformation.
At the heart of this tradition was a clear understanding: a pilgrimage to Kumano was only considered complete when all three Grand Shrines, collectively known as the Kumano Sanzan, were visited.
This was not symbolic. It was foundational to how the journey was understood, practiced, and remembered.
The Kumano Sanzan and the Idea of Completion
The three Grand Shrines of Kumano — Kumano Hongū Taisha, Kumano Hayatama Taisha, and Kumano Nachi Taisha, were never meant to be visited in isolation.
Together, they formed a spiritual triangle that represented balance, renewal, and continuity. Each shrine embodied a different dimension of existence, and only by moving between them could pilgrims experience the pilgrimage as a whole.
Historically, reaching just one shrine was not considered an endpoint. The meaning of the journey unfolded through movement, from shrine to shrine, through mountains, forests, rivers, and coastlines.
Kumano as a Land of Rebirth
From around the 10th to the 13th centuries, Kumano was widely viewed as a liminal place, a borderland between this world and the next.
Many believed it represented Fudarakusan, the Pure Land of the Bodhisattva Kannon. Walking to Kumano symbolised the death of the old self and the possibility of rebirth into a renewed life.
This belief gave the pilgrimage particular significance during times of uncertainty. In periods marked by famine, disease, and political instability, people came to Kumano seeking not escape, but transformation.
Completing the pilgrimage by visiting all three shrines marked the closing of one life chapter and the beginning of another.
An Unusually Inclusive Pilgrimage
One of the most remarkable aspects of the Kumano Kodo was its inclusivity.
Unlike many sacred sites in medieval Japan, Kumano welcomed:
Emperors and aristocrats
Monks and warriors
Women and commoners, who were often excluded elsewhere
Spiritual merit at Kumano was not determined by status, gender, or social standing. Completing the pilgrimage was an act of devotion open to all.
This inclusivity contributed to the rise of Kumano mōde, one of Japan’s earliest examples of mass pilgrimage, where people from all walks of life undertook the journey together.
Hardship as a Form of Devotion
Historically, walking the Kumano Kodo was physically demanding and often dangerous.
Pilgrims travelled for weeks along narrow mountain paths, exposed to harsh weather, illness, and uncertainty. There were no guarantees of safety or comfort.
Enduring hardship was not seen as a drawback. It was integral to the pilgrimage itself.
Completing the journey demonstrated:
Sincerity of faith
Acceptance of impermanence, a core Buddhist principle
Willingness to confront discomfort in pursuit of inner clarity
The journey was as important as the destination, sometimes more so.
A Living Example of Shinto–Buddhist Syncretism
The Kumano shrines are among the clearest historical examples of Shinto–Buddhist syncretism in Japan.
Rather than separating belief systems, Kumano embraced them as interconnected expressions of the sacred:
Nature deities (kami)
Buddhist figures
Ancestral reverence
Pilgrims performed rituals at each shrine that blended these traditions seamlessly. Visiting all three reinforced the idea that spiritual truth was not singular or fixed, but layered and experiential.
Pilgrimage as a Rite of Passage
For many historical pilgrims, a journey to Kumano marked a turning point in life.
People often came:
After recovering from illness
Following personal loss
Before major life changes
At moments of emotional or spiritual uncertainty
Completing the full pilgrimage acted as a rite of passage, an embodied way of acknowledging change and stepping into a new phase of life.
Why This History Still Matters Today
Modern pilgrims may not walk the Kumano Kodo seeking salvation in a religious sense, yet the structure of the pilgrimage continues to hold meaning.
Walking between all three shrines still creates:
A clear beginning, middle, and end
Time and space for reflection
A sense of gradual transformation rather than instant resolution
The pilgrimage remains powerful because it is not rushed. Meaning accumulates slowly, through movement, repetition, and presence in nature.
While the meaning of the pilgrimage has evolved over time, walking a journey that connects all three Grand Shrines still reflects the original structure of the Kumano Kodo and how it was intended to be experienced.
In Essence
Historically, visiting all three Grand Shrines on the Kumano Kodo meant:
Completing a sacred journey of rebirth
Participating in one of Japan’s most inclusive pilgrimage traditions
Accepting hardship as part of personal transformation
Moving through a spiritual landscape where nature and belief were inseparable
Understanding this history deepens the modern experience of the Kumano Kodo. It reminds us that this journey was never about ticking off destinations—it was about walking a complete path and allowing change to unfold along the way.
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