Ogumotori-goe Jizo-do Hall

The Jizo-do Hall along the Ogumotori-goe section of the Kumano Kodo holds 32 stone statues of Jizo, the bodhisattva who watches over travelers. The original hall and 33 statues were donated in 1707 by a Sakai fishmonger named Rokube; one statue has since gone missing. Local legend says it wanders the Kumano Kodo helping travelers in need. The hall is also a regular stop for yamabushi, practitioners of mountain asceticism who leave wooden prayer plaques called hide during their spring and summer retreats. The current structure was rebuilt in 2015. The adjacent Jizo-jaya rest area marks the midpoint of the Ogumotori-goe route.