Kumano Hongu Hinoki (Cypress) [Powers Wood]
Kumano Hongu Hinoki (Cypress)
| The power of wood | The power of revival, leading to victory, road safety |
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This tree is found in Hongu, Hongu-cho, Tanabe City, Wakayama Prefecture, where Kumano Hongu Taisha Shrine is located.
Kumano Hongu Taisha Shrine is the center of the Kumano Sanzan (Hongu, Hayatama, and Nachi Taisha), and is the head shrine of the more than 4,700 Kumano shrines across the country.
The main deity worshipped here is Ketsumi Miko no Okami, who is the same deity as Susanoo no Mikoto in Japanese mythology.
In the past, he was called Kumanoza Okami, "the god who resides in Kumano."
He is also the god of trees who created the land of trees (Kinokuni) by plucking the hairs from his body. It is said that the cypress and building materials of the shrine, which is a national important cultural property, were also made from cypress harvested in Hongu.
