Kumano Nachi Taisha stands beside the 133-metre Nachi Falls, the tallest single-drop waterfall in Japan and itself the object of worship. On 14 July, twelve ōgi mikoshi — tall fan-shaped structures representing the twelve deities — are carried down the stone steps towards the falls, and met by twelve men swinging burning cypress torches weighing fifty kilos each, who purify the path in smoke and sparks.
The Kumano pilgrimage routes are UNESCO-listed, one of only two pilgrimage routes on the list.
No attendance figure is collected in this pass.
The date is fixed at 14 July. Nachikatsuura is on the remote southern coast of the Kii peninsula, four hours from Osaka, which keeps the crowd to a size the stone steps can hold.
PlanningFixed on 14 July, at Japan's tallest waterfall on the Kumano pilgrimage route.
Dates
computed from the rule
Computed from the recurrence rule we record for this entry, not copied from a listing. A date marked ~ comes from a calendar conversion and the observance may fall a day or two either side.