Asuka Jinja Shrine

Asuka Jinja is a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage route, at the foot of Mt. Horai on the Kumano River. It belongs to the Kumano faith, an ancient fusion of Shinto and Buddhism rooted in nature worship, and links two of the faith's three grand shrines. Over 190 kakebotoke, round hanging tablets with symbolic carvings from the Yayoi and Kofun periods, were found here when a typhoon toppled a tree, suggesting offerings predate the shrine itself. The shrine also enshrines Jofuku, a Chinese scholar said to have come 2,200 years ago seeking immortality on Mt. Horai, credited locally with introducing farming and fishing methods.