Environmental changes along the Kumano Kodo trail during the Edo period

The character of the Kumano Kodo gradually changed during the Edo period.

How did this change occur? Well, the Kumano Sanzan, which had been closely associated with Buddhism, became more Shinto.

There are several reasons for this change.

One is the reason common people walked the Kumano Kodo.

The Warring States period ended in the Edo period, and daimyo were transferred to other provinces based on their achievements.

Each domain then began to rebuild its economy.

During this time, the technologies cultivated in military affairs during the Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods flourished, and advances in infrastructure development led to economic revitalization. This is perhaps similar to Japan’s period of rapid economic growth after the end of World War II.

The reason common people walked at that time was not to seek salvation, but rather to travel the roads that had been built during the Edo period for sightseeing purposes.

The most popular pilgrimage during the Edo period was visiting Ise Shrine. It is said that 4.8 million people made the pilgrimage per year, but to give you an idea of ​​just how impressive this number is, in 2019 the Kumano Tourism Bureau, which arranges accommodation for the Kumano Kodo, arranged for 50,000 people per year. Since people generally stay two to four nights when walking the Kumano Kodo, I estimate that the number of Kumano Kodo pilgrims arranged by the Kumano Tourism Bureau is around 10,000 to 15,000.

Numbers for other tours are harder to determine, but no matter how you estimate it, I don’t think the number of people walking the Kumano Kodo Nakahechi from Takijiri (interpretations vary) exceeds 100,000.

And even on another World Heritage Site, the Camino de Santiago (a pilgrimage route leading to the cathedral in northwestern Spain where the tomb of James the Apostle is said to have been found), although the number of pilgrims has increased significantly in recent years, only 400,000 people have obtained pilgrimage certificates. (The actual number is probably not accurate, but it’s said that about twice as many people make the pilgrimage.)

Since people who made the pilgrimage to Ise were able to travel relatively freely under the pretext of pilgrimage, many also traveled the Kumano Kodo trail in order to see more of the country.

In other words, the religious influence became much weaker than that of previous visitors to the Kumano Sanzan.

The second factor was probably the intention of the Kishu domain.

In the Edo period, in order to eliminate Christianity, commoners were initially organized into groups of five, and having a temple as a temple proved they were not Christian. In other words, to eliminate Christianity, proof was required that all Japanese were Buddhists.

Furthermore, for Buddhism, the “Temple Laws of Various Provinces” regulated the behavior of monks, and for Shinto, the “Shrine Priest Laws” regulated the priesthood.

While Ise Grand Shrine and other shrines were able to maintain their own systems, the Kumano Sanzan were affected.

In line with this control over the Shinto priests, the Kishu domain treated the Kumano Sanzan as shrines.

At the Kumano Sanzan, the Shinto priests were managed by the Shake family, and the Buddhist clergy were managed by the Hongan family, but the Shake family would travel to Kyoto to receive Shinto training from the Yoshida family.

The Yoshida family believed in Yuitsu Shinto (the idea that Japanese gods are the true form, and Buddhas are the temporary form of gods), which is the opposite of honji suijaku (the idea that Buddhas are the true form, with Japanese gods taking the temporary form of gods). As a result, the balance of power at the Kumano Sanzan shifted significantly from Hongan to the Shake family.

Specifically, the Shake family’s movement to transfer the role of the rituals that had been held at the Kumano Sanzan from Hongan to the Shake family was approved by the Kishu domain.

This is thought to be the beginning of a strange syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism, where originally Buddhist events are carried out by Shinto priests. For example, the goma fire ritual held in front of Kumano Nachi Taisha Shrine. I have never seen goma fire cooking performed at a shrine.

There is also a Buddhist sutra called Hannya Shingyo, and in Kumano it seems that there is a difference between reciting the Heart Sutra as a Buddhist and as a Shinto. (I think this is only true for some people in Kumano.) When chanting in Buddhism, the word “Buddha-setsu” is added at the beginning, but when chanting in Shinto it is not.

There are also other unique customs, such as the priest of Hongu Taisha Shrine holding a memorial service for Ippen Shonin at the monthly festival.