Shugendo Trekking Tour
Learn more about the trekking tour of Japan’s oldest training pilgrimage, “Katsuragi twenty-eight Mansions”, certified as a Japan Heritage on June 19th, 2020.
What is the Shugendo Trekking Tour?
The sacred mountain of Shugendo, Mount Katsuragi, is the generic name of the ridges of the Izumi mountain range which stretches from west to east on the border between Osaka and Wakayama to the Kongo mountain range which stretches north between the border of Osaka and Nara. In these mountains, the twenty-eight Lotus Sutras are said to be buried by En-no-Gyoja, the founder of Shugendo, and it is called the “Katsuragi Niju-hasshuku Kyouzuka (Katsuragi twenty-eight Mansions of Sutra Mounds)”.
Starting from Tomogashima (where the introduction part of the sutra is buried) out in the Kada bay, the sacred places for the Shugendo mountain priests are scattered throughout the mountain range. This trekking tour is where you can experience the First Sutra Mound in Tomogashima with a real mountain priest to guide you along.
Tour Schedule
Meeting Place
Nankai Railway Kada Station
The Medetai Densha Train of the Nankai Railway ends at Kada station. The Shugendo trekking tour starts here.
Katsuragi Shugen
Mukae-no-bo
Since the Heian period (794-1185), Kada had been the base of Katsuragi Shugen which is the training place for Buddhist mountain priests. Mukae-no-bo plays an important role as a greeting facility.There used to be a temple called Kadaji in the ancient times where the Mukai family served as the temple administrator. The family still continues to greet the priests who come visit Kada for their training.
The Flame of Praying “Saito Ohgomaku”
Ajigamine Gyoja-do
The Ajigamine Gyoja-do is located on a ridge called Ajigamine where its altitude is 35 meters. You can see the view of the training locations in Tomogashima.You can experience “Saito Ohgomaku” which is a fire for praying from the ancient times at the Ajigamine Gyoja-do. We will pray for the safety of our trekking as well as warding off the evil, peace and prosperity of households, traffic safety, sound bodies, enhancing academic abilities, and marine safety.
To the Starting Point of Katsuragi Niju-hasshuku (Katsuragi twenty-eight Mansions)
RIB Boat Port
Here we take a RIB (rigid inflatable boat) to Tomogashima. The RIB boat, which is used by the marines and police all across the world as rescuing boats and also for explorations, is a safest, non-sinkable boat that can sail in highspeed even in bad weather. A skilled fisherman who knows the sea area like the back of his hand will be in charge of driving the boat.
The First Sutra Mound of Katsuragi Shugen
Tomogashima
In the west of Kada Bay, among the Kii strait, there are the four islands: Jinoshima, Torajima, Okinoshima, and Kamishima. The RIB boat takes you to the Naka-no-seto channel where you can see the giant dike of Torajima with an eroded cave “Kannen-kutsu” and the “Gosho-no-gaku” in the above. There will be a commentary from the mountain priest guide.
Contact Us
Send inquiries about our town and business from here.