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Yoshino Kumano NP, Wakayama
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On October 16, 9 neighborhood boats race 1.6 km up the Kumano River, guiding the deity’s ceremonial vessel. After the race, the sacred ship circles Mifunejima 3 times—a thrilling two-part climax.
A 14th-century lacquered vanity box was offered not for a person but as a deity’s furnishing. It still holds its mirror, silver grooming tools, powder and tooth-blackening boxes, and 29 lacquered combs.
Fireworks launched from the Kumano River set the shrine halls ablaze in 1883. The sacred statues and treasures survived, while plain timber halls served until a major rebuilding began in 1952.
Shingū means “New Shrine”: tradition says Kumano’s deities moved from their first worship place, nearby Kamikura, to this riverbank sanctuary. The name preserves the relationship between the 2 sacred sites.
In 1972, Kagawa nurseryman Yoshikazu Yamaji, aged 64, grew 500 seedlings from Hayatama’s sacred nagi and planted them at Okinawan schools to mark Okinawa’s return to Japan.
Hayatama’s medieval sacred offerings total 1,204 pieces, from clothing and jewelry to weapons and horse gear. Given around 1384–1390 by the imperial house, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and regional lords, they form a National Treasure.
Pilgrims who completed the 3 Kumano grand shrines were traditionally given a leaf from Hayatama’s sacred nagi. Its tough, lengthwise-veined blade resists tearing, making it a natural emblem of bonds that last.
Four National Treasure wooden kami statues at Hayatama date to the late 9th–early 10th century. The principal pair are larger than life in court robes, and one deity’s crown shows Buddhist influence.
Hayatama’s 2-day festival reenacts the gods’ legendary journey from sacred Kamikura: first a horse procession, then a mikoshi through town and a ceremonial boat up the Kumano River.
During the Mifune festival, a red-clad male performer dressed as a woman dances and calls from the towing boat. This Harahari dance is an old local rite recognized as intangible cultural heritage.
Historically, Udono residents across the river in today’s Mie Prefecture rowed Hayatama’s sacred towing boat; their village was once part of the shrine domain. The festival’s community reaches beyond today’s border.
Hayatama’s famous nagi is not one trunk: several stems have fused into a giant tree with no central trunk. This Natural Monument rises 17.6 m and measures 5.45 m around at its base.
Local legend links the tree to 1159: before the Heiji Rebellion, Taira no Shigemori tucked a sacred nagi leaf into his armor; after victory, he reportedly planted this tree at Hayatama in thanks.
Among Hayatama’s treasured hinoki fans is one made from 27 thin slats, joined with colored thread and painted with green pines, scarlet maples, silver and gold—a courtly ceremonial object offered to the gods.
