Kumano Hongu Taisha belongs to Yoshino-Kumano National Park in the southeast of Wakayama Prefecture. Together with Kumano Hayatama Taisha and Kumano Nachi Taisha, it is the head shrine of more than 3,000 Kumano shrines across the country. The shrine, which has crows as its servants, was originally built on Nakasu Osaigahara, where the Kumano River, Otonashi River, and Iwata River meet. It was washed away by a flood at the end of the 19th century and was rebuilt in its current location.
The main gate, the shrine, and the shrine for worshipping the gods make people feel calm and peaceful in the ancient and vastness, as if explaining to people why people believe in Kumano Hongu Taisha so much.
Since the 14th century, the habit of worshipping Kumano has been formed in the lives of local people. At that time, there was a saying that "ants worship Kumano", which shows how many people worshipped. There are monuments and stone tablets describing the history of worship on the side of the Kumano Kodo, which is covered with moss stone steps in the greenery. Many people like to use the Kumano Kodo as a walking route.