Regional sacred-site guide
Sacred sites in Wakayama Prefecture
Explore 22 sacred places in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, with a regional map and links to detailed site guides.
Explore Wakayama Prefecture, Japan by facet
Showing 1-22 of 22 sites in this regional guide
Chikatsuyu-oji
Tanabe, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan
Chikatsuyu-oji (近露王子) is an old oji beside the Hiki River where historical pilgrims performed cold-water purification on the Nakahechi section of the Kumano Kodo....
Daimon Gate
Koyasan, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan
Daimon Gate (大門) is the monumental western gate of Koyasan and a dramatic arrival threshold from Choishi-michi.
Danjo Garan
Koyasan, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan
Danjo Garan (壇上伽藍) is Koyasan's central monastic complex, associated with Kobo Daishi's establishment of the mountaintop center.
Dōjō-ji
Wakayama Prefecture, Japan
Dōjō-ji is the oldest documented temple in Wakayama Prefecture, founded in 701 CE by the monk Gien at Emperor Monmu's command....
Hiro Shrine
Nachikatsuura, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan
At the base of Japan's tallest single-drop waterfall, Hirou Shrine offers something rare: direct worship of natural phenomenon....
Hosshinmon-oji
Tanabe, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan
Hosshinmon-oji (発心門王子) is a major threshold marking entry into the divine precincts of Kumano Hongu Taisha on the Nakahechi section of the Kumano Kodo....
Houki-in Temple
Wakayama Prefecture, Japan
Hōki-in is the Mt. Kōya sub-temple charged each year with carrying fresh monastic robes to Kōbō Daishi at the Okunoin mausoleum, where Kūkai is believed to remain in...
Jison-in
Kudoyama, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan
Jison-in (慈尊院) is the temple at Kudoyama traditionally regarded as the lower-world entrance to Koyasan and the starting threshold of Choishi-michi.
Ki-mii-dera
Sa, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan
Ki-mii-dera is station 2 on the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage, a Kuze Kannon-shū temple in Wakayama dedicated to Jūichimen Kannon....
Kokawa-dera
Kinokawa, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan
Kokawa-dera is station 3 on the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage, a Tendai Buddhism — Tendai-Kokawa-ha, Katsuragi Shugendō tradition temple in Wakayama dedicated to Senju Kannon....
Kongobu-ji Temple (Mt. Koya)
Koya, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan
High in the mountains of Wakayama, Kongobu-ji serves as headquarters of Shingon Buddhism, the esoteric tradition Kobo Daishi brought from China in 806 CE....
Kumano Hayatama Taisha
Shingū, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan
Kumano Hayatama Taisha stands at the mouth of the Kumano River where it meets the sea, one of three grand shrines that have drawn pilgrims for over a millennium....
Kumano Hongū Taisha
Tanabe, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan
For over a thousand years, every path of the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage has led here....
Kumano-Nachi Grand Shrine
Nachikatsuura, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan
One of the three great Kumano shrines, Kumano Nachi Taisha rises on Mt. Nachi above Japan's tallest waterfall....
Nachi Falls
Nachikatsuura, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan
Nachi Falls, stands in Nachikatsuura. At Nachi Falls, Kumano Shinto and Shugendō guides custody....
Niukanshofu Shrine
Kudoyama, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan
Niukanshofu Shrine (丹生官省符神社) is the shrine immediately associated with Jison-in at the beginning of the Choishi-michi approach.
Niutsuhime Shrine
Katsuragi, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan
Niutsuhime Shrine (丹生都比売神社) is a major shrine of the Kii sacred landscape connected with Koyasan and reached on a documented branch or detour from Choishi-michi.
Okunoin
Koya, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan
Okunoin, stands in Koya. At Okunoin, Kōyasan Shingon Buddhism guides custody. Prayer at Okunoin addresses Kōbō Daishi Kūkai in eternal meditation....
Seiganto-ji
Nachikatsuura, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan
Seiganto-ji stands at the head of the Saigoku 33-temple pilgrimage and at the foot of Nachi Falls, Japan's tallest single-drop cascade....
Seigantoji (Seiganto Temple)
Nachikatsuura, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan
High on Mt. Nachi in Wakayama Prefecture, the three-story vermillion pagoda of Seigantoji frames one of the most iconic views in Japan: the 133-meter Nachi Falls cascading...
Takijiri-oji
Tanabe, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan
Takijiri-oji (滝尻王子) is the traditional entrance to the Kumano mountains and one of the five major oji on the Nakahechi section of the Kumano Kodo....
Tsugizakura-oji
Tanabe, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan
Tsugizakura-oji (継桜王子) is an oji grove known for the Nonaka Ipposugi cedars and its association with Minakata Kumagusu's resistance to shrine consolidation on the...
Key questions
Wakayama Prefecture sacred-site questions
How many sacred sites are listed in Wakayama Prefecture?
This regional guide currently includes 22 sacred sites in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan.
Which traditions are represented in Wakayama Prefecture?
The most represented traditions in the current guide include Buddhism, Kumano Shinto, Buddhism, and Shugendō, Shinto, Shingon Buddhism, Shinto and Shingon Buddhist sacred-landscape tradition, Kōyasan Shingon Buddhism, Kumano Shinto and Shugendō.
Can I view Wakayama Prefecture sacred sites on a map?
Yes. Switch to map view to compare the listed places, then open a site page for coordinates and visiting context.