Tenkawa Village Sightseeing Page

In July, 2004, the sacred site “Yoshino Omine” and the pilgrimage route “Omine Okugake-michi,” along with sites like Mount Koya and three important shrines in Kumano, were collectively inscribed as the “Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range” on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list. This marked the 12th such designation in Japan, and it is the only pilgrimage route worldwide, aside from the route connecting Spain and France, known as the “Santiago de Compostela.” Spanning approximately 170 kilometers from Yoshino to Kumano, this route represents the ascetic practice path established by En-no Gyoja in the early 8th century. On this page, we introduce a course as an example of a route entirely within the village of Tenkawa. It starts from the Dorogawa Onsen bus stop, passes through Mount Sanjo-gatake, Mount Gyoja-gaeri-take, Mount Misen, and Mount Hakkyo-gatake, and returns to the Tenkawa Kawai bus stop. This is a 2-night, 3-day course that includes lodging one night each on Mount Sanjo-gatake and Mount Misen. *Note: Advanced reservations are required for lodging. The accommodation on Mount Sanjo-gatake is available during the opening period of the mountain (May 3 to September 23) and the lodging on Mount Misen opens from late April to mid-November.