The history of the Kumano Kodo! What are the ‘99 Oji of Kumano’? Also introduces recommended courses.

Walking along the Kumano Kodo, you will find places here and there with the names ‘Oji’ and ‘Ojisha’.Some are now only stone monuments as Oji ruins, while others have shrines built on them, but they are places where you can feel a sense of history.

This article introduces the history of the ‘Oji’, a full list of the 99 Kumano Oji and recommended tourist routes (trekking courses) around the ‘Oji’.

What’s a Oji?

Walking along the Kumano Kodo, there are a number of spots named ‘Oji’.What is a ‘Oji’ anyway?

From the 12th to 13th centuries, emperors and aristocrats went on Kumano pilgrimages (walking along the Kumano Kodo and visiting the three Kumano mountains).Unlike today, the Kumano Pilgrimage in those days was a life-threatening journey.It took up to a month to make the round trip.

Shugenja were the predecessors of the emperor and aristocrats on their Kumano pilgrimages.It is thought that Shugenja recognised the shrines erected by local people to worship local deities as ‘Oji’ and maintained them as shrines in order to pray for protection along the way.

There are said to be more than 100 of them along the Kumano Kodo, and they are known as Kujuukuu Oji (99 Oji), with 99 meaning ‘many’.

To learn more about the history of the Kumano Kodo and why it was chosen as a World Heritage Site, see also this article.

What is the history of the Kumano Kodo, the land of revival? Why was it selected as a World Heritage Site?

All the Oji along the Kumano Kodo! List of 99 Oji

熊野古道沿いには101の王子があると言われています。大阪府から順に、和歌山県の那智勝浦までを順番にご紹介しましょう。

1	Kubotsu-Oji	21	Nagaoka-Oji	41	Kaburasaka-Oji	61	Ueno-Oji	81	Jujo-Oji
2	Sakaguchi-Oji	22	Jizoudou-Oji	42	Yamaguchi-Oji	62	Tsui-Oji	82	Oosakamoto-Oji
3	Kouto-Oji	23	Umame-Oji	43	Itoga-Oji	63	Ikaruga-Oji	83	Chikatsuyu-Oji
4	Ueno-Oji	24	Nakayama-Oji	44	Sakagawa-Oji	64	Kirime-Oji	84	Hisohara-Oji
5	Abe-Oji	25	Yamaguchi-Oji	45	Kumesaki-Oji	65	KirimeNakayama-Oji	85	Tsugizakura-Oji
6	Tsumori-Oji	26	Kawanobe-Oji	46	Iseki-Oji	66	Iwashiro-Oji	86	Nakanokawa-Oji
7	Sakai-Oji	27	Nakamura-Oji	47	Konose-Oji	67	Senri-Oji	87	Kobiro-Oji
8	Ootori-Shin-Oji	28	Hanzaki-Oji	48	Umadome-Oji(east)	68	Minabe-Oji	88	Kumasegawa-Oji
9	Shinoda-Oji	29	Kawabata-Oji	49	Kutsukake-Oji	69	Haya-Oji	89	Iwagami-Oji
10	Hiramatsu-Oji	30	Wasa-Oji	50	Umadome-Oji(west)	70	Dedachi-Oji	90	Yukawa-Oji
11	Inokuchi-Oji	31	Hirao-Oji	51	Uchinohata-Oji	71	Akitsu-Oji	91	Inohana-Oji
12	Ikeda-Oji	32	Nakuchi-Oji	52	Takae-Oji	72	Maro-Oji	92	Hosshinmon-Oji
13	Asogawa-Oji	33	Matsusaka-Oji	53	Onaka-Oji	73	Misu-Oji	93	Mizunomi-Oji
14	Chikaki-Oji	34	Matsushiro-Oji	54	Hii-Oji	74	Yakami-Oji	94	Fushigami-Oji
15	Kuramochi-Oji	35	Bodaibou-Oji	55	Matsubara-OJI	75	Inabane-Oji	95	Haraido-Oji
16	Tsuruhara-Oji	36	Fujishiro-Oji	56	Zendouji-Oji	76	Ichinose-Oji	96	Yunomine-Oji
17	Sano-Oji	37	Fujishirotouge-Oji	57	Aitokusan-Oji	77	Ayukawa-Oji	97	Hama-Oji
18	Kashii-Oji	38	Kitsumoto-Oji	58	Kuama-Oji	78	Takijiri-Oji	98	Sano-Oji
19	Umayado-Oji	39	Tokorozaka-Oji	59	Iwauchi-Oji	79	Nezu-Oji	99	Hamanomiya-Oji
20	Shindachiichinose-Oji	40	Ichitsubo-Oji	60	Shioya-Oji	80	Daimon-Oji	100	Ichinono-Oji
								101	Tafuke-Oji

What is the Five Ojis?

Of the 99 princes, five – Fujishiro Oji, Kirime Oji, Inabane Oji, Takijiri Oji and Hosshinmon Oji – are known as Gotai(Five) Oji and are considered important.

This is because the shrine enshrines all the deities called Gosho Oji, which are enshrined in the Kumano Sanzan (Kumano Hongu Taisha, Kumano Nachi Taisha and Kumano Hayatama Taisha). The general prince is enshrined at only one of these shrines.

Recommended hiking trails around the famous ‘Oji’.

It is hard to visit all the more than 100 Ojis…

We have therefore recommended a route that allows you to visit seven princes in two days and one night!This route is part of the Kumano Kodo route called Nakahechi.

JR Kii-Tanabe Station

↓ Walk 30 mins.

Misu Oji

↓ 35-minute walk

Yagami Oji

↓ 40-minute walk

Inabane Oji

↓ 2 hours 10 minutes on foot

Takijiri Oji

↓ 1 hour 30 minutes on foot

Takahara Kumano Shrine

↓ 5-minute walk

Stay overnight at SEN.RETREAT TAKAHARA and soak in the hot springs at Kirinosato Takahara.

Day 1 starts at Kii Tanabe Station and takes in four Oji shrines. Of these, Takijiri Oji is the most important Oji shrine, which was regarded as the entrance to the Kumano shrine area.

As the distance between Inabane Oji and Takijiri Oji is long, a lunch break here is recommended.

A stopover if you visit Nakaheji 8 recommended lunches and cafés in Nakaheji

The Takahara Kumano Shrine is the oldest remaining shrine along the Kumano Kodo, with a colourful shrine pavilion and a 1000-year-old camphor tree. This area is also famous for its sea of clouds, so if you are lucky you may be able to see it!

After a full day’s walk, you can heal your tired body with a hot spring at Kiri-no-Sato Takahara and food at Sen.Retreat Takahara. At this inn, you can enjoy BBQ and hot pots made from local ingredients, and as the inn is a single building, you can stay here without worrying about other people’s eyes. At night, you can sit around the bonfire and talk with each other while watching the stars in the sky…

Depart from the inn

↓ Walk 1 hr 30 mins.

Jujo Oji

↓ 2 hours’ walk

Ushiba Doji Statue

↓ 10-minute walk

Kumano Kodo Nakahechi Art Museum

↓ 1 minute walk

Chikatsuyuu Oji

↓ 1 hour’s walk

Tsugizakura Oji, Ipponsugi cedar in Nonaka

↓ Short walk

Toganoki Teahouse

↓ Short walk

Nonaka no Shimizu

↓ 20 minutes on foot

Nonaka Ipponsugi bus stop

↓ Bus ride 1 hr 20 mins

JR Kii-Tanabe Station

Day 2 takes you to three Ojis. This route is flat and easy to walk and has plenty to see.

The Jujo Oji is tucked away in a cedar forest, so be careful not to miss it!

The Kumano Kodo Nakahechi Art Museum was the first museum created by the architectural unit SANAA (Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa), known for designing the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa. The museum mainly exhibits works by NONAGASE BANKA and WATASE Ryoun, painters from Nakahechi.

The Chikatsuyu Oji is said to be the earliest of the 99 Oji to have been developed. This area has become a rest stop for Kumano pilgrims, and there are many restaurants and guest houses in the area.

The Nonaka Ipponsugi cedars at the Tsugizakura Oji are a group of giant cedars estimated to be 800 years old. They extend their branches only in the direction of the Kumano Hongu-taisha shrine, as if bowing towards it.

The area around Toganoki Teahouse is a great place to enjoy cherry blossoms in spring and autumn leaves in autumn.Open only on limited days, so stop here! Check the official Facebook page in advance to find out when it is open.

Nonaka no Shimizu is one of the 100 best waters in Japan.It must have once been a valuable water supply spot for walkers on the Kumano Kodo.Why not take a walk along the Kumano Kodo, where the landscape remains unchanged from the past, and think back to a time long past?

Access to each Oji is as follows.

Misu Oji：1518 Shimomisu, Tanabe City, Wakayama Prefecture.（Map）

Yakami Oji：1337 Oka, Kamitonda-cho, Nishimuro-gun, Wakayama（Map）

Inabane Oji：2988-2, Iwata, Kamitonda-cho, Nishimuro-gun, Wakayama（Map）

Takijiri Oji：859 Kurisugawa, Nakaheji-cho, Tanabe City, Wakayama（Map）

Jujo Oji：1307 Ouchigawa, Nakaheji-cho, Tanabe City, Wakayama（Map）

Chikatsuyu Oji：901 Chikaro, Nakaheji-cho, Tanabe City, Wakayama（Map）

Tsugizakura Oji：Nonaka, Nakaheji-cho, Tanabe City, Wakayama Prefecture（Map）

More detailed information on each spot can be found in this article.

Cherry blossoms, ginkgo trees and museums!10 sightseeing spots along the World Heritage Kumano Kodo “Nakahechi”.