Kumano Nachi Taisha

Access to Kumano Nachi Taisha can be easily done by both public transportation and car. If using public transportation, the nearest station is Kii-Katsuura Station on the JR Kisei Main Line. From there, take the Kumano Mie Bus to the "Nachisan" bus stop, which takes about 30 minutes. If traveling by car from Osaka, take National Route 168 and National Route 42 to Nachikatsuura Town. The journey takes about 5 hours. There is also a route that passes through the Hanwa Expressway and the Kisei Expressway, and if you take National Route 42 from the Susami-Minami Interchange, you can arrive in Nachikatsuura Town in about 4 hours. From Nagoya, take the Tomei Expressway, Ise Expressway, Kisei Expressway, and enter National Route 42 via the Kumano Owase Road and the Kumano Otsu Interchange to head to Nachikatsuura Town. The journey takes about 4 hours. From Nachikatsuura Town, it takes about 20 minutes to reach the waterfall. At Nachi Falls, there is a shrine parking lot with up to 30 parking spaces available. A toll of 800 yen is required for the shrine disaster prevention road, but it is a convenient option for elderly people and families with children as it is accessible by car.

Kumano Nachi Taisha Shrine has its origins in the eastern expedition of the god Kamuyamato Iwarebiko no Mikoto. In 662 BC, Kamuyamato Iwarebiko no Mikoto and his entourage landed at Tanabe Bay (now Nachi Beach). They found a shining mountain and headed towards it. There, they found Nachi Falls and enshrined it as the divine body of the god Oonamuchi no Kami. Guided by the Yatagarasu, Kamuyamato Iwarebiko no Mikoto and his entourage safely arrived in the land of Yamato in Kashihara in February 660 BC and ascended to the throne as Emperor Jimmu. The Yatagarasu returned to Kumano after completing its mission and is said to be resting as a crow stone. Afterwards, the gods of Kumano descended on Mount Mitsumine and were enshrined in the Nachi Honmiya Shrine. However, in the fifth year of Emperor Nintoku's reign (317 AD), a shrine was built on the mountainside and the gods of Kumano and the god of Nachi Falls were relocated there. This is considered the beginning of Kumano Nachi Taisha Shrine. At the Hiryu Shrine, a separate shrine of Kumano Nachi Taisha, Nachi Falls is enshrined as the divine body. Its history dates back to the eastern expedition of Kamuyamato Iwarebiko no Mikoto and has gathered faith for a long time with the gods of Kumano.