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This shrine did not exist during the heydays of the Kumano pilgrimages, although literature housed in Niwa-dera Temple mentions the shrine as having existed at the end of the Kamakura Period. It is presumed that the shrine was built when the area became established as a bathing spot. It became popular in the Edo Period as the number of worshipers who passed from Mikoshi Pass through Kakihara-no-Yado and Yunomine increased. Originally, the sanctuary was located on the right side of Toko-ji Temple, but it was lost to fire in May 1903. As seen in the above image, the small shrine sits on the hill behind the temple. (The original site is designated a Cultural Property by Wakayama Prefecture and can be found behind Toko-ji Temple and the Yunomine Public Bathhouse.) |
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