#attraction/museum The [Kumano Hongu Heritage Center (世界遺産 熊野本宮館)](https://www.city.tanabe.lg.jp/hongukan/) is an information center located between [[Attractions/Kumano Hongu Taisha (熊野本宮大社)|Kumano Hongu Taisha (熊野本宮大社)]] and [[Attractions/Oyunohara (大斎原)]]%%, and right next to TK-bus-stop%%. > [!NOTE] Yatagarasu and Kumano-go-ho-in > A three legged crow was generally said to be an incarnation of the sun in East Asia - for example, it appeared in a Chinese tale and the wall painting of an ancient Korean tomb. > > Yatagarasu, messenger by the gods of Kumano is printed on the talismans given at Jyuyosha and the flag of this shrine, and it's three legs are said to mean heaven, earth and people. It's also used as the symbol mark of Japan Association of Football. > > Go-ho-in is a talisman against evils given at shrines and temples in every place. It's stuck on a house door or put between a bough on a rice nursery field, etc. > > The characteristics of a Kumano talisman is in it's letters designed in the shape for making holy vows in the middle and modern ages. It's given at all the Kumano Shrines including the three main shrines of Kumano. > [!NOTE] Kumano Deities > Religion in Japan is very complicated because multiple traditions have merged to create a diversity of belief systems. The Kumano deities are an outstanding example of this adaptive and accommodating nature. Japan's indigenous deities, known as ***Kami***, find their origins in ancient nature worship. There are differing interpretations of the objects of worship at the Kumano Grand Shrines. When Buddhism arrived in the 6th century, Kumano also became an important site of ascetic practices. Under the influence of Buddhism, Kami were associated with Buddhist deities in the process called ***shinbutsu-shugo***, or Shinto-Buddhist syncretism. This led to the belief that Kami are local manifestations of Buddhist figures. The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas associated with the Kami of Kumano are the most venerated in Japan. ***Kumano Gongen*** refers to the Kumano deities in their Shinto-Buddhist form. > > | Grand shrine | Natural object of worship | Kami | Buddhist Deity | > | --- | --- | --- | --- | > | Hongu | Trees, Sandbank, Kumano-gawa River, Nature in its entirety, etc. | Ketsumiko-no-Omikami (Susano) | Amida (Buddha of Compassion and Wisdom) | > | Hayatama | Gotobiki-iwa Rock, Kumano-gawa River | Hayatama-no-Omikami (Izanagi) | Yakushi (Medicine Buddha of Healing) | > | Nachi | Nachi Waterfall | Musubi-no-Okami (Izanami) | Senju Kannon (Thousand Armed Boddhisattva of Mercy) | > > Because of the diversity of interpretations, Kumano has developed into a sacred site for a wide range of religious traditions, each worshipping side-by-side in harmony. ![[kumano hongu heritage center IMG_7042.png]] > [!NOTE] Kumano Sanzan > The Kumano Sanzan is a term referring to the set of three Grand Shrines: Kumano Hongu Taisha, Kumano Hayatama Taisha, and Kumano Nachi Taisha. They first appeared as a single religious institution in the 11th century, and have greatly influenced religion and history in Japan. The Kumano Sanzan is the head of more than 3000 Kumano shrines across the country. The characteristic feature of this sacred triad is that each Grand Shrine shares the same deities, each enshrining the others' gods. The emblem of the Kumano Sanzan is the three-legged ***Yatagarasu*** crow, the divine bird who guided the legendary first emperor of Japan through Kumano's impenetrable mountains. ![[kumano hongu heritage center IMG_7043.png]] > [!NOTE] Kumano > Kumano is the ancient name for the southern region of the Kii Peninsula—a sacred site steeped in mystery and legend. Kumano's rich natural landscape is believed to be the otherworldly abode of the gods, and has been the focus of pilgrimage and spiritual training for centuries. The area is associated with ***Yomi-no-Kuni***, the mythical land of the dead, as well as with Buddhist celestial paradises. In Japan's oldest written chronicles, it is described as the burial place of *Izanami* (one of Japan's creator deities) and features in the epic tale of *Jinmu Tenno*, the legendary founder of Japan's Imperial line. Religious worship in Kumano is focused upon a set of three Grand Shrines--Kumano Hongu Taisha, Kumano Hayatama Taisha, and Kumano Nachi Taisha--which hold an important place in Japan's history and spiritual development. This complex landscape is a sacred site of healing and salvation to a diversity of faiths, and is an outstanding example of Japan's syncretic religious traditions. ![[kumano hongu heritage center IMG_7045.png]]