Tamaki Shrine

Tamaki Shrine sits at the summit of Mt. Tamaki at 1,076 meters in the Kii Mountains and is believed to have been founded in 37 BCE during the reign of Emperor Sujin. For centuries it was an important training site for Shugendo practitioners following the Omine Okugakemichi pilgrimage route. The shrine was registered as a World Heritage Site in 2004 as part of the Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range. Ancient Japanese cedar trees, protected by a centuries-long logging prohibition, include a 3,000-year-old specimen called Jindai-sugi and the Meoto-sugi, two massive trees fused together at the trunk, named for the concept of a wedded couple.