Mizunomi-oji

This Kumano pilgrimage shrine site serves as one of the sacred oji (subsidiary shrines) along the ancient Kumano Kodo pilgrimage routes, where travelers traditionally stopped to purify themselves with sacred water before continuing their spiritual journey. The shrine is dedicated to the protective kami of the pilgrimage path, offering spiritual guidance and protection to those undertaking the demanding mountain pilgrimage to the Kumano Sanzan. Pilgrims and visitors come here to receive blessings for safe travel and spiritual purification, following a tradition that has connected this sacred site to Japan's most important religious pilgrimage for over a millennium.