Sacred Shrines and Temples

Wakayama Prefecture serves as Japan's spiritual heart, housing the UNESCO-listed Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range. This collection features the Shingon Buddhist headquarters at Mount Koya, including the extensive Okunoin cemetery and Kongobu-ji temple. It also encompasses key stops along the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage trail, such as the Kumano Hayatama Taisha and the grand torii gate at Oyunohara. These sites showcase traditional Japanese architecture, from the vermillion structures of Shinto shrines to the historic pagodas of Tendai Buddhist temples.

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Kongobu-ji

Kongōbu-ji is the ecclesiastic head temple of Kōyasan Shingon Buddhism, located on Mount Kōya, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan.

Daderot / CC BY-SA 3.0

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Okunoin

One of the most popular cemeteries in the country, Okunoin is a tranquil place with both sacred and slightly mysterious atmosphere.

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Seiganto-ji

Seiganto-ji, Temple of Crossing the Blue Shore, is a Tendai Buddhist temple in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan.

Saigen Jiro / CC0

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Niutsuhime-jinja Shrine

Supposedly founded before the 9th century, this UNESCO site is one of the oldest shrines in the region.

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Kumano Hayatama Taisha Shrine

Kumano Hayatama Taisha is a Shinto shrine located in Shingu, Wakayama Prefecture, on the shores of the Kumanogawa in the Kii Peninsula of…

663highland / CC BY 2.5

F

Fudarakusan-ji

Fudarakusan-ji is Tendai temple of the Higashimuro district, Wakayama prefecture, Japan. The name of temple comes from mount Potalaka.

KENPEI / CC-BY-SA-3.0

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Jison-in

Though this temple may look quite ordinary, be sure it is one of the most unusual places of worship you can visit in Japan.

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Niukanshofu-jinja Shrine

Niukanshōfu Shrine or Niukanshōbu Shrine is a Shinto shrine in Kudoyama, Ito district, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan.

顔なし / CC BY-SA 2.0

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Inabane-Oji

One of the five major Gotai-oji shrines along the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage route, this site historically served as a place for ritual purification and rest for pilgrims traveling toward the Kumano Grand Shrines.

Daniel Sawicki / CC-BY-SA

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Kobo Daishi mausoleum

The final resting place of Kukai, founder of Shingon Buddhism, located at the furthest point of the Okunoin cemetery. Believers maintain that the monk remains in eternal meditation, and ritual meals are delivered to the mausoleum daily.

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丹生官省符神社

Founded by Kobo Daishi in 816 as a guardian shrine for the nearby Jison-in temple, this UNESCO World Heritage site is situated at the top of a steep stone staircase and features three main halls built in the Kasuga-zukuri style.