Treasure House of Scenic Beauty―Wakanoura

In 1621, the first lord of the Kishu clan, TOKUGAWA Yorinobu, established this shrine to dedicate it to his father TOKUGAWA Ieyasu, the founder of the Edo shogunate government. With its gorgeously decorated buildings reminiscent of those of Nikko Toshogu Shrine, the shrine is also known as "Nikko in Kansai." Along the approach to the shrine, there are many stone lanterns that were offered by vassals of the Kishu clan. The shrine's annual picturesque festival, the "Wakamatsuri Festival,"which has been celebrated ever since the foundation of the shrine, tells us of the manners, customs and performing arts of the Edo period (1603-1868).

This shrine was founded in the Koho era (964-968) to dedicate it to the God of Learning, SUGAWARA-no-Michizane, and reconstructed in 1606 by ASANO Yoshinaga, a feudal lord who had moved to Kishu Province after the Battle of Sekigahara (1600). The gorgeously decorated buildings of the shrine were built by HEINOUCHI Masanobu, a master carpenter who later worked as Daitoryo (general superintendent) of the construction department of the Edo shogunate government. Visitors can enjoy a panoramic view of nearby Wakanoura Bay and Kii Channel in the distance from Romon Gate.

When Emperor Shomu visited Kii Province in 724, he was moved by the view of the Tamatsushima tidal islands and ordered the preservation of the beautiful landscape. Since the Heian period (794-1185), many waka poems have been offered to Tamatsushima Shrine, which is dedicated to the goddess of waka poetry, Princess Sotoorihime. The buildings of the shrine were rebuilt by ASANO Yoshinaga, a feudal lord who moved to Kishu Province after the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, and improved by the first lord of the Kishu clan, TOKUGAWA Yorinobu.

To commemorate the 33th anniversary of TOKUGAWA Ieyasu's death, Yojuin, the mother of the first lord of the Kishu clan, TOKUGAWA Yorinobu, buried sutra stones (kyoishi) on Imoseyama Island, one of the six Tamatsushima tidal islands and the closest to the mainland among them. Later in 1655, Yorinobu erected a two-storied pagoda (tahoto) on the site, in remembrance of his dead mother. In addition, he constructed the Sandankyo Bridge and the Kankaikaku Pavilion on Imoseyama Island so that his people could visit the island to enjoy a view of the tidal land in Wakanoura Bay freely.

In 1851, the 10th lord of the Kishu clan, TOKUGAWA Harutomi, constructed the Furobashi bridge as part of the Onari road, through which members of the Tokugawa family and representatives from Kishu Toshogu Shrine (dedicated to TOKUGAWA Ieyasu) visited the shrine at the time of its annual Wakamatsuri Festival. It is said that the arched part of the bridge was made by masons from Kumamoto, Higo Province, and the railings with reliefs of clouds were constructed by ISHIYA Chubei, a mason from Yuasa, Kishu Province.

At the foot of Mt. Kagamiyama, one of the Tamatsushima tidal islands, there is a littoral cave, where Shiotsuchi-no-Oji, the god of tides, salt production, pregnancy and smooth delivery, is enshrined. The cave was once called "Koshi-no-Iwaya" (lit. Cave of Portable Shrine), due to an annual Shinto ritual which used to be celebrated at Niutsuhime Shrine, located at the upper reaches of the Kino-kawa River. In the ritual, a procession with a mikoshi (portable shrine) starting at Niutsuhime Shrine marched to the cave, where it was placed temporarily. The landscape of rocky Mt. Kagamiyama, composed mainly of crystalline schist (unique rocks called "kyara-iwa"), with ocean waves lapping onto its shore, has been praised as one of the Ten Sites of Scenic Beauty in Wakanoura.

The second temple of the 33 Kannon Pilgrimage in Kansai, this temple was founded by a Chinese priest named Iko Shonin in 770. With three springs (Shojo-sui, Yoryu-sui, and Kissho-sui) welling up on its grounds, the temple is named "Kimii-dera Temple" (lit. Temple of Three Springs in Kishu Province). Located at half way up Mt. Nagusa, rising east of Wakanoura Bay, the temple is a great place to enjoy a beautiful view of the bay and has attracted many famous writers and artists, as well as pilgrims. The temple is also known for its early flowering cherry trees.

A magnificent Japanese-style garden with a path around a central pond, Yosuien was built by the 10th lord of the Kishu clan, TOKUGAWA Harutyomi, over eight years from 1818. The garden incorporates the surrounding scenery of Wakanoura, including that of Mt. Takatsushiyama, into its design. The central pond draws in seawater, a rarity in Japan. The pond with two bridges, Mitsubashi and Taikobashi, is said to have been modeled on West Lake in China, known for its scenic beauty.

This sea coast dike was constructed in the late Edo period (1603-1868). Presently, the stone and earth dike, stretching about 1 km from north to south, is covered by sand hills with a pine forest. There remains no record about the background of the construction of the dike; however, it is said that it was constructed to protect the landscape of Fukiage Beach, which used to form a site of scenic beauty together with Wakanoura, and of Nishihama Beach, where a villa for successive lords of the Kishu clan was located.

Kotonoura Onzan Souen Garden was constructed by Chojiro NITTA, a business person from Osaka, between the early Taisho period (1912-1926) and the early Showa period (1926-1989). The vast modern garden, with an area of 46,000 m2, is dotted with beautiful buildings, including three Important Cultural Properties of Japan: the Main Building, the Hamazashiki Guest House, and the Teahouse. The garden has two ponds, one to the east and another to the west of the Main Building, both of which draw in seawater by using the advantage of their location close to the seashore and therefore have water levels that change depending on the tide. Visitors can also enjoy various views of the garden from a small hill called “Yanoshima”within it.

Since the Heian period (794-1185), retired and cloistered emperors have made pilgrimages to Kumano, over 100 times in total. On their pilgrimages, they took a break on Goshono-shiba Hill.The wonderfulness of the view from the hill is described in various historical materials, including Gokoki (A Record of the Retired Emperor’s Pilgrimage to Kumano) written by FUJIWARA Teika, who accompanied Retired Emperor Gotoba in his visit to Kumano in 1201, and Kii no Kuni Meisho Zue (Illustrated Collection of Famous Spots in Kii Province) created in the Edo period (1603-1868). The hill has been said to be one of the most picturesque places on the Kumano Pilgrimage Routes, since ancient times.

Founded at the Imperial request of Emperor Ichijo in 1000, Chohoji Temple has three National Treasures and one Important Cultural Property of Japan. The former three are Hondo (the Main Hall) built in 1311, Tahoto (Two-storied Pagoda) built in 1357, and Daimon (Great Gate) built in 1388; and the latter is Chinju-do Hall constructed in 1295. In 1666, the first lord of the Kishu clan, TOKUGAWA Yorinobu, designated it as his family temple, where one of the largest feudal family graveyards in Japan was established. The graveyard contains the graves of all lords of the Kishu Tokugawa family, except for two lords who became Tokugawa Shoguns: the fifth lord, Yoshimune (the eighth shogun), and the 13th lord, Yoshitomi (later Iemochi; the 14th shogun).

There remain many stories associated with Fujishirozaka Pass, such as one of Imperial Prince Arima, who died young at the age of 19 in the Asuka period (538-710); one of Fudesutematsu, a pine tree at the foot of which KOSE-no-Kanaoka, a court painter in the Heian period (794-1185), threw away his paint brush; and one of Suzuri-ishi, a large ink stone built by the first lord of the Kishu clan, TOKUGAWA Yorinobu.Along the pass are many Choseki-jizo, statues of Jizo Bodhisattva, with one installed about every cho (1 cho is about 110 m) in the Edo period (1603-1868), which watch out for the safety of pilgrims to and from Kumano.

Fujishiro-Oji Shrine was one of the Oji shrines established along the Kumano Pilgrimage Routes and one of the five most prestigious Oji shrines (called “Gotai-Oji Shrines”). From ancient times, the shrine was an important place as the entrance to the sacred Kumano area and also served as the base for the Suzuki family, which had moved there from Kumano in the Heian period (794-1185), to spread Kumano beliefs throughout the nation.
The statue of honjibutsu (original Buddhist divinity) of the three Kumano Taisha Shrines (Kumano Hongu, Hayatama, and Nachi Taisha Shrines), created in the late Heian period, is still enshrined in Fujishiro Shrine, passing down the history of the syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism to the present.