Trip to the Kii Peninsula V – Shingu

Banners lining the walkway on the path to Asuka Jinja

Returning from Nachi Taisha, we made our way back to the city of Shingu, a moderately sized port city with a population of about 30,000 on the eastern side of the Kii Peninsula. After finding lunch at a cafe we walked to Asuka Jinja Shrine, one of the oldest Kumano shrines which dates back to as long ago as the 8th century BCE, although exactly when it was founded is unknown. It was very peaceful. There were birds inside the open main offertory of the shrine, eating birdseed that had been left out for them. We didn't have long to stay, however, as there were three more destinations in Shingu on our must-see list and the hours until evening were drawing close and the skies were threatening rain.

Asuka Jinja

Walking among the ruins of Shingu Castle

Next was a visit to the ruins of Shingu Castle. The old castle ruins have been turned into a lovely park and garden filled prominently with cherry trees for cherry-blossom viewing in the spring as well as azaleas which were in bloom while we were there. While we were there it was evident we had just missed the wisteria; there were some spectacularly huge plants which would have been quite the sight in season. It was a quiet afternoon and we were the only visitors while we were there, so it was very peaceful and serene, walking through the garden of the castle ruins.

Old stone walls of the castle

The castle sits on a hill overlooking the city and the river which runs through it. It was built in the early 1600s but dismantled during the Meiji Restoration in 1873. Not much else besides the stairs and some of the foundation walls remain.

View of the Kumano River

Enormous wisteria covered seating area

Cherry trees

Resident castle ruins cat

From Shingu Castle ruins we walked the short distance to Kumano Hayatama Taisha, the last of the three Kumano Grand Shrines. One thing I liked in particular about our visit to the Kii Peninsula, and Shingu in particular, were all the hawks we saw. In Shingu especially there were hawks in the town the same way you might expect to see crows: perched on telephone poles and building antennas.

Approaching Hayatama Taisha at the end of the street

Crossing the bridge toward the first gate of Kumano Hayatama Taisha

Kumano Hayatama Taisha is of course the third of Kumano Grand Shrines along the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage with a long and pivotal history of Kumano Shintoism. There is a sacred 800 year old tree (or depending on the source, over 1000 year old) on the temple grounds. Hayatama Taisha resembles Hongu Taisha more than Nachi Taisha with a long main shrine building with one prominent offertory hall and several side offertory areas (the building is so wide and long and the space inside the gate is enclosed enough that it was difficult to get a photo capturing it all), with the main difference being that like Nachi Taisha, Hayatama Taisha is painted vermillion red.

Wooden statue at Hayatama Taisha

The main offertory hall of Hayatama Taisha

Sacred Nagi-no-Ki tree

After Hayatama Taisha we made our way to another shrine which (according to some) is even more sacred than Hayatama Taisha as it is the location where the Kumano deity first descended to earth. On our way we passed by and so stopped at the small, nearly hidden shrine of Watarigozen Shrine which is dedicated to the first Japanese Emperor Jimmu before making our way to Kamikura Shrine.

Watarigozen Shrine, dedicated to the first Emperor of Japan Jimmu

Hydrangeas and the gate at Watarigozen Shrine

Passing through the streets of Shingu

The gate of Kamikura Shrine

Kamikura Jinja Shrine is perhaps the most important shrine in Kumano Shintoism as the place where the three Kumano deities first came to earth. The shrine itself is built on an outcropping halfway up Kamikurayama Mountain, which overlooks the city and you have to climb 538 steps to reach the top. At the top is Gotobiki-iwa rock, an enormous sacred boulder. (Gotobiki means 'toad' as the largest rock resembles one.) At the base of the rock is Kamikura Shrine.

Climbing the stairs to Kamikura Shrine

At the top of the stairs, another gate before the shrine

Approaching the shrine. At first, there's nothing to see..

..until the shrine comes into view.

Gotobiki-iwa and Kamikura Shrine

It was quite the climb (538 steps is a lot of steps as it turns out) but it was really amazing to visit Kamikura Shrine. At the end of the day and heavy skies above, we were again the only visitors there during our visit. It was really something. The Gotobiki-iwa is more massive than it appears in photos!

We would have stayed longer but the skies were on the verge of rain and there were 538 steps to climb down, which we didn't want to do while wet. Unfortunately, the rain came during our descent, but we managed to get back to our stay for the night without getting too wet.

Leaving Kamikura Shrine

Chinese gate at Jofuku Park

Our last tourist destination in Shingu was Jofuku Park, a man of Chinese legend from some 2,000 years ago who at the request of the Emperor came to Japan from China to find an elixir of immortality. He landed in Shingu and decided to stay and is to this day a symbol of friendship between Japan and China. The main gate of the park is amazingly colorful, detailed and beautiful. Then it was time to catch the morning train to Osaka. Our next destination: the city of Nara!

The coastline from the train, leaving Shingu