Standing in the Footsteps of History Kumano Kodo Walking Path

Matsumoto-toge Pass is the last pass in the Iseji route from Ise Jingu Shrine to Kumano Hayatama-taisha Shrine, one of the Kumano Sanzan, the Three Grand Shrines of Kumano. Matsumoto-toge Pass is known for its cobblestone path made 300 years ago during the Edo Period and extended 150 years ago during the Meiji Period.

Other paths have stones stacked up for a few meters, but the Matsumoto-toge Pass runs beside a river, so the cross-section of the path is visible on the side along the river.

There is a life-sized Jizō statue installed 400 years ago that greets you at the 135-meter elevation point as you head up this 400-year-old path. It is said that this Jizo statue was once shot by the famous rifleman Oma Shinzaemon because he mistook it for a monster. You can still see the hole where the bullet made a hole in the statue. There are little bits of history scattered around the Jizō statue, like the remains of a tea room and the oldest temple school in the Kumano metropolitan area.

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