Kumano Nachi Taisha

Contexto cultural

Nachi Taisha, one of the three Kumano shrines, has its roots in nature worship of Nachi Falls — Hirō Shrine doesn't even have a main hall; people pray facing the waterfall itself, regarded as the divine body of 'Hirō Gongen'. The neighbouring Seiganto-ji bears witness to the fusion of Shinto and Buddhism, and the image of its vermilion three-storey pagoda framed with the white ribbon of the falls is famous worldwide. The monk-poet Saigyō and the haiku poet Takahama Kyoshi both wrote verses about the falls. Together with the stone-paved Daimon-zaka slope of the Kumano Kodō, the site is an important part of the 'Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range' World Heritage Site.

Costumbres locales

Worship follows the Shinto 'two bows, two claps, one bow', standing quietly in prayer before the worship hall. For JPY 300 you can climb the 'Otaki Haisho Butai' platform to gaze up at the falls and hear their roar from as close as possible, and drink from the basin's water, said to bring long life. Travellers who collect goshuin stamps shouldn't miss those of Nachi Taisha and Seiganto-ji. If you have time, walk up from Daimon-zaka and feel the mossy stone steps of the thousand-year-old pilgrimage route underfoot — it takes about 40 minutes.

Religión y creencias

• This is a sacred site where Shinto nature worship and Buddhist faith in Kannon intertwine. Before praying, purify your hands at the fountain
• before the worship hall, offer a coin, ring the bell (if there is one), bow, clap and make your wish, then bow once more to finish. Keep quiet in the grounds, especially at the Hirō Shrine prayer spot facing the falls, where putting your palms together and watching in silence is the best tribute. Never throw coins or anything else into the falls or the basin
• remove your shoes and don't use flash inside Seiganto-ji's pagoda. Stone steps are slippery in rain, so keep to the approach and don't step onto the moss or into the woods.

Consejos de viaje

• Good all year
• in summer the water is abundant and the falls are most spectacular after rain, and in late November autumn leaves dot the mountains. Access: from JR Kii-Katsuura Station the bus takes about 30 minutes (JPY 630), or about 20 minutes from JR Nachi Station (JPY 490), with buses roughly every 45 minutes
• get off at Daimon-zaka or 'Takimae' to walk up the old path, or at the 'Nachisan' terminus, from which it's about 10 minutes up stone steps to the shrine. Costs: the shrine grounds are free (treasure hall JPY 300), Seiganto-ji's pagoda JPY 500, the waterfall prayer platform JPY 300. Allow at least 3 hours, and avoid the midday crowds.

Notas sobre mapas y transporte

• '熊野那智大社' (Kumano Nachi Taisha
• for the falls search '那智の滝'
• the bus terminus is called '那智山', and drivers can search '那智の滝 飛瀧神社' for the car park).