Oyunohara

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Oyunohara is the original shrine grounds where the Kumano Hongo Taisha once stood and where three rivers converge. All the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage routes lead to this sacred sandbank. At meters tall, a huge torii gateway marks its entance. Kumano Kodo. For over 1000 years people from all levels of society have made the ardous pilgrimage to Kumano. These pilgrims used a network of routes. now called Kumano Kodo, which stretches across the mountainous Kii peninsula. The walk itself was an integral part of the pilgrimage purification as they undertook rigorous religious rites of worship and purification. Kumano's syncretic Sacred Kumano Sanzan have their roots in prehistoric nature worship. When Buddhism was introduced to Japan in the 6th century, these religious systems merged, leading to the belief that the local deities are manifestations of Buddihist deities. The Kumano faith is a mixed tradition with complex symbolism.

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Photo credit: © Paolo Patrizi / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
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Keywords: blossoms, cherry, deities, faith, heritage, kii, kumano, nature, peninsula, pilgrimage, purification, religion, religious, rites, routes, spiritual, symbolism, syncretic, tradition, walk, world, worship