39Maruyama SenmaidaMaruyama Senmaida is one of the top 100 terraced rice field spots in Japan, with 1,340 large and small paddies lying on top of each other on the mountainside. There were more than 2,000 paddies here in 1601, but that number had declined to 530 in 1992 due to depopulation. Consequently, local people started conservation activities and restored the rice paddies to the current number. There is a unique ownership system that allows people who donate 30,000 yen a year to have their own rice paddy for that year, and it is also possible to participate in planting and harvesting. In addition, there is an event known as mushiokuri that takes place in June each year to drive away crop-eating insects. Farmers walk through the rice terraces carrying torches, drums and bells to drive away insects and because those lights are so fantastical, it has become a seasonal summer tradition, with many people coming to visit.Michi-no-Eki Kumano Itaya Kurobee-no-SatoYou can use this Michi-no-Eki as a base when walking the Hongudo, and this is also where buses to and from Kumanoshi Station, Atawa Station and Seiryuso arrive and depart. In addition, there are demand-responsive taxis that you can use by contacting the providers in advance by telephone from the adjacent Kumano City Hall Kiwa General Branch Office. You can also go to Shingu City Kumanogawa Branchi Office near Shiko.Kishu Kozan mine remainsCopper was mined at the Kishu Kozan mine from at least the Nara Period and it is recorded that the copper used in the Daibutsu Great Buddha Statue at Todai-ji was mined here. Modern mining facilities were established here on a big scale from 1934 and 3,000 tons of copper were produced here each year during its peak period, making this Japan’s leading mine. Subsequently, profitability deteriorated due to declining international copper market prices and the mine closed in 1978. Currently, you can see exhibits including the mining tools used at the time at the Kumano City Kiwa Mine Museum.Kozan Torokko trolley (service suspended)The Torokko trolleys actually used at the Kishu mine run through a tunnel of about 1 km and connect Seiryuso Station and Yunokuchi Onsen Station in about 10 minutes.Yunokuchi OnsenIt is said that the spring-water gushed out when Emperor Godaigo worked on the excavation of a gold mine in 1337. After that, the onsen withered due to the development of mines, but when the area was bored after the mines closed, the water gushed out again and the area recovered as Yunokuchi Onsen in 1979.Ushiroji bus stop ～ ShikoIf walking from the west trailhead of Fuden-toge Pass, continue along the World Heritage-registered Hongudo ① to Hongudo ② via Doden-daki waterfall. Beyond Hongudo ③, there is a mountain road that goes down to the Hotel Seiryuso. If you proceed along Hongudo ④, near Yuhi-no-Oka, you will see the Kumano bouldering field. If you then proceed to Hongudo ⑥ via Hongudo ⑤ and Kobune junction, you will come out at Sobo and join the Yoji-gawa River. After that, the trail heads for Shiko via Suishadani Kozan mine remains and Miwa-ohashi Bridge.Yuhi-no-OkaThis is the site where Meirin Elementary School, abolished in 1970, used to stand. It is currently maintained as a park and is one of the few spots to rest on the trail from the Hotel Seiryuso to Miwa-ohashi Bridge.Yoji Yakushi-doIt is said that Yoji Yakushi-do was built in 1411, and its official name is Joyaku-ji. It is a temple with ties to Cloistered Emperor Goshirakawa and the Sanjusangendo temple in Kyoto. Many worshippers visit as it is supposed to be beneficial for head illnesses. In addition, there was a place for crossing the Kumano-gawa River at Yoji in the Edo Period, but people currently cross using the Miwa-ohashi Bridge.Banze-toge PassAt 415 m above sea level, this is the last path that pilgrims cross who have walked from Ise Jingu to Kumano Hongu Taisha. A long slope up continues from Shiko and after 5.8 km, the trail joins the Kogumotori-goe section of the Nakahechi route.OyunoharaThis is where the Kumano Hongu Taisha used to stand, but it was transferred to its current location on higher ground after the shrine complex was destroyed by flooding in 1889. The Otorii, Japan’s largest torii shrine gateway at a height of 33.9 m and a width of 42 m, stands at the entrance.Kumano Hongu TaishaThis is one of the Kumano Sanzan and the main enshrined deity is Ketsumimiko-no-Okami. The majestic shrine buildings were spared being swept away in the flood of 1889 and were relocated from Oyunohara. It is known formally as Kumanonimasu-jinja after a deity who lived in Kumano.
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