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Kumano Kodo Shrine is widely known as the sacred site where the Kumano deities were first worshipped as part of the Kumano Sanzan. Climbing the steep 538 stone steps from the foot of Gongen Mountain, one can see the shrine and the sacred rock, Koto-hiki-iwa. Legend has it that this massive rock, which grows on the edge of a cliff, is the place where the Kumano deities first descended. The square beneath the shrine offers an excellent viewpoint for overlooking the cityscape of Shingu and the ocean.
As the main shrine of Kumano Hayatama Taisha, Kumano Kodo Shrine has been registered as a World Heritage Site.
Every year on February 6, the shrine hosts Japan's oldest fire festival, the O-Tō Matsuri. In the darkness of night, men dressed in white and holding torches rush down the steep stone steps like a tide, praying for the safety of their hometown for the year. Today, the O-Tō Matsuri has been designated as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Asset of the country.
At Kumano Hayatama Taisha, visitors can obtain talismans and goshuin from Kumano Kodo Shrine. In addition to various protective charms, the shrine also offers limited edition goshuin with specific era names.
