Oyunohara — Attraction in Tanabe

The entrance to Oyunohara is marked by the largest Torii shrine gate in the world (33.9 meters tall and 42 meters wide). It’s a formalized gateway that designates the entrance to a sacred area. It signifies the division of the secular and the spiritual worlds. This Torii is called Otorii, O means “big”. It was erected in the year 2000 and is made of steel.

Kumano Hongu Taisha was originally located at Oyunohara, a sandbank at the confluence of the Kumano and Otonashi Rivers. Legend has it that the Kumano deities, in the form of three moons, descended into the branches of a giant oak tree in this clearing. All of the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage routes lead to this sacred site.

In 1889 a severe flood destroyed many of the shrine buildings. The salvaged remains of the pavilions were rebuilt at their present site. You can still see the expansive, raised earthen platform where the pavilions once stood. Of the original five main pavilions only three were rebuilt. Four deities were moved there and the other eight are still enshrined here in two...

The tallest torii in Japan, it stands in defiance in the middle of the flood plain (don't let the rice paddies fool you), silently reminding us of it's past glory and long history. While it is a modern production, the nearly indestructible torii nonetheless signifies people's undying faith. The shrine itself has been relocated to nearby hill side, and the old ground of the shrine has only a few Stony pieces to evidence it's prior life, leaving this massive torii the most stunning sight from miles away.

A birds eyes view (too bad no drone allowed here or anywhere)...

Possibly the tallest Torri ⛩ in Japan. Situated in the former location of many centuries of the Grand Shrine in Hongu. Due to a massive river flood over a century ago, the Grand Shrine ⛩ was moved nearby to higher ground. You can see old photis and drawings of tje former shrine at the nearby Kumano museum and tourist center. This place is also a park and you can walk up yo the kumano river. Some locals exercise or meditate in the mornings...