Kumano Highway - Kumano Highway

A pilgrimage route to the Kumano Sanzan shrines in the southern part of Wakayama Prefecture. It is a long distance pilgrimage route that follows the Kii Mountains, and it is said in the Ryōjin Hishō and other books that it originated from the Kumano faith, which prayed for rebirth in paradise through ascetic practices. The routes vary, and it is thought that they were first established by the ascetic practices of Shugen, and gradually became established. Sometimes sea routes were also used in part. The oldest recorded pilgrimage is that of Emperor Uda (907), as recorded in the Fusōryakki, and over the next 350 years, seven generations of retired emperors made pilgrimages, about 100 times. The entire route is recorded in the Meigetsuki by Fujiwara no Teika, who accompanied the retired Emperor Gotoba in 1201 (Kennin 1). The route runs from Kyoto through Naniwa, along the coast to Tanabe, and from Tanabe through the mountains to Hongu. This is the Kii Road, also known as the Kumano Miyukimichi or Kumano Kodo, and along the way there was a stop at the Tsukumo Oji Shrine, where people could rest and offer homage. The Kii Road splits into the Nakahechi, which runs through the mountains from Tanabe, and the Ohechi, which runs along the coast. The Nakahechi route was later used by many common people on their pilgrimages, and although its popularity fluctuated over time, it also became a route for pilgrims to the western provinces, so much so that it was called "the pilgrimage to Kumano for a living." Other routes along the Kumano Kaido include the Iseji route around Ise, the Totsukawaji route, the Kitayamaji route, the Koyaji route that passes through Mount Koya, and the Shugendo Mineiri route that follows the mountains of Omine. These pilgrimage routes were registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (cultural heritage) in 2004 (Heisei 16) as the "Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range."

[Yoichi Koike]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

和歌山県南部の熊野三山への参詣(さんけい)路。紀伊山地をたどる遠隔参詣路で、苦行によって極楽(ごくらく)往生を祈願する熊野信仰に始まることが『梁塵秘抄(りょうじんひしょう)』などにうかがわれる。その道筋はさまざまで、初めは修験(しゅげん)の抖擻(とそう)によって開かれ、しだいに固定化したかと思われる。ときには一部海路が併用されることもあった。記録では『扶桑略記(ふそうりゃっき)』の宇多(うだ)法皇の参詣（907）が最古で、以後約350年間に上皇の参詣が7代約百度を数える。1201年（建仁1）後鳥羽(ごとば)上皇に同行した藤原定家の『明月記(めいげつき)』には全行程が記されている。その道筋は、京から難波(なにわ)を経て海岸沿いに田辺(たなべ)へ、田辺から山間を本宮に至っている。これが紀伊路で、熊野御幸道(みゆきみち)、熊野古道(こどう)ともいい、途中遙拝(ようはい)休憩のための九十九王子社が設けられていた。紀伊路は田辺から山間をたどる中辺路(なかへち)と、さらに海岸を伝う大辺路(おおへち)に分かれるが、中辺路がその後の庶民の参詣でも通行が多く、時代による盛衰はあるが、西国巡礼の道筋にもなり「蟻(あり)の熊野詣(もう)で」といわれるほどであった。熊野街道は、ほかにも、伊勢(いせ)を回る伊勢路、十津川(とつかわ)路、北山(きたやま)路、高野山(こうやさん)を経る高野路、大峰(おおみね)山中をたどる修験の峰入(みねいり)路などがある。これら参詣道は、2004年（平成16）「紀伊山地の霊場と参詣道」としてユネスコの世界遺産（文化遺産）に登録された。

［小池洋一］

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