A koshinto or koshinzuka is a monument or pillar often erected at the entrance to a village to protect it frome pidemics and calamities.

Koshin is a folk belief with Taoist origins dating back to the HeianPeriod (794-1185). According to the ancient sexagenary calendar, every60th day was koshin day.

It was believed that while everybody slept during the night of this day, the Sanshi (three worms or entities) inside the body would escape and ascend to report the sins of the person to the Celestial Gods, eventually shortening their lifespan.

It developed into a faith under which believers would stay up all night to prevent this.

This is a hamlet with expansive views of tranquil countryside. A rare natural phenomenon known as Fuden oroshi occurs here from spring to late autumn, with huge swathes of morning mist flowing down the mountains like a river.

Oroshi is about 14 km from Hana-noIwaya so this is a place to aim for when walking the Hongudo in one day.

If you walk the Hongudo, you will see many citrus fields. High quality citrus fruit are cultivated widely here thanks to the warm, rainy climate and well-drained soil. Many varieties are harvested throughout the year and have become major specialty products.

Placed at regular intervals of 1 cho (about 109 m) up to the pass are Jizostatues that watch quietly over and protect pilgrims. Originally there were 50, but only 35 remain now. They are said to have been put there in the Azuchi-Momoyama Period.

Uomachi faces the calm Enoura Bay and has been a fishing town since long ago. It prospered in the past asa place of accommodation for pilgrims and as a harbor for ships sheltering from the wind. In the town, which has shops selling dried fish and other seafood, there are historical temples and shrines such as Nagashima-jinja, Choraku-ji and Bukko-ji, and also the unusual vertical lift-style Enoura-bashi Bridge, and the looping Enoura ohashi Bridge, so visitors can touch the history, culture and scenery of this area.

Oharai-machi or “purifying town” is a district replicating Edo era streets near the entrance to the Naiku shrine. There is a plethora of traditional sweet shops, restaurants serving local food and snacks, souvenir shops, etc. along the 800-meter-long street.In the middle is Okage-yokocho or “blessing alley”, a collection of around 60 stalls selling foods, crafts, and nostalgic souvenirs. Oharai-machi is one of the most visited tourist sites in the area, bustling with visitors year-round.

Yama-no-Kami is believed in as the spirit that protects the mountain, and is considered to be a female deity with fertility, fecundity and life-giving powers. It is an ancient animistic belief and phallic symbols are often given as offerings and Yama-no-Kami is worshipped to appease natural disasters. Yama-no-Kami has a strong relationship with agriculture, and is said to descend from the mountains to be the god of fields in the spring and return to the mountains when the harvest ends in the fall. There are many places where Yama-no-Kami is enshrined along the Kumano Kodo.

The Shikinen Sengu is the biggest ritual at the shrine. Every 20 years, in addition to the Shogu of the Naiku and Geku, 14 superior affiliated shrines and Uji-bashi Bridge, 1,576 items of 714 types of associated treasures and objects including the items that decorate the inside and outside of the main sanctuaries, swords, saddles and instruments are rebuilt or remade, and Amaterasu-Omikami relocates to an adjacent sacred site. The Shikinen Sengu takes place over nine years and is made up of 33 rituals and events combining the Okihiki log pulling event, the Oshiraishimochi white pebble carrying event, the Shinnomihashira dedication, the relocation ceremony and the last Mikagura ritual dance ceremony. Since the first relocation was carried out at the initiative of Emperor Tenmu in 690, this ceremony has been repeated for more than 1,300 years, with the 62nd reiteration completed in 2013.
You can see many of the associated treasures and objects used for 20 years at the Jingu Museum and the tools used at the Sengu-kan.

The Kumano Kodo Center is a visitor center located on the　outskirts of town. There are both permanent and　temporary　exhibits about the history and nature of Owase. The building　itself is very impressive being made　of over　6,500 locally harvested cypress trees.　Hours: 9:00-17:00　Closed New Year’s holiday

Built in 1910 as a wedding reception venue for foresters, the building was subsequently used as a holiday house. It is currently registered as a National Tangible Cultural Property. Inside are displayed everyday items, documents and other objects that tell the history of Miyama.