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UNESCO Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage Revitalizes Rural Wakayama

NACHIKATSUURA, JAPAN - JUNE 19: Visitors and spiritual pilgrims walk past a colossal, 800-year-old sacred camphor tree (Goshinki) wrapped with a traditional shimenawa straw rope in the main courtyard of Kumano Nachi Taisha Grand Shrine in Nachikatsuura, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, on June 19, 2026. This ancient, moss-covered tree features a hollowed-out root base where outdoor tourists can physically walk through the trunk as part of a unique spiritual purification ritual, set between the grand vermilion-red Shinto shrine pavilions within the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Kii Mountain Range pilgrimage network. (Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto)

Photo ID	#13867892
Date Taken	19 June 2026
Location	N/A
Photographer	Artur Widak/NurPhoto
Category	Human Interest
Copyright	© 2026 NurPhoto - Artur Widak/NurPhoto

800-years-old Asia Botanical Camphor Courtyard Foliage Forest Goshinki Grove Historic History Japan Kumano Kodo Kumano Nachi Taisha Mountain Nachikatsuura Nature Pavilion Religion Shimenawa Shinto Shrine Spiritual UNESCO Vermilion Wilderness World ancient architecture branch canopy culture giant giant-trees gnarled green heritage hollow-trunk landmark mossy old old-growth outdoor pilgrimage red ritual scenery trail trees trunk woods Kumano Nachi Taisha Grand Shrine Wakayama Prefecture sacred camphor tree shimenawa straw rope moss-covered tree purification ritual Shinto shrine UNESCO World Heritage Kii Mountain Range pilgrimage network Artur Widak NurPhoto