Kumano Nachi Taisha Royalty-Free Stock Photography

Kumano Nachi Taisha & x28;熊野那智大社& x29; is one of the three Kumano shrines, situated a few kilometers inland from the coastal hot spring resort of Katsuura. The shrine is part of a large complex of neighboring religious sites that exemplify the fusion of Buddhist and Shintoinfluences that is particular to the Kumano region. The site also boasts the tallest waterfall in Japan. The veneration of the Kumano shrines as holy sites of Shintoism predates Buddhism& x27;s introduction to Japan in the mid 6th century. Once Buddhism arrived in Kumano it took root quickly, and rather than competing with the indigenous religion for religious authority, it began a long process of harmonious mixing.