Wakayama Prefecture Specialties, Souvenirs, Shrines, Temples, and Travel | 47 Prefecture Guide

Wakayama is mostly mountains Those mountains serve both as fruit-growing areas and places of faith.

Specialties

Plums and mandarin oranges both rank first in Japan by harvest volume. Plums in particular account for most of Japan’s domestic production in this prefecture.

Nanko plums are a variety with thick flesh and small pits They originally came from a single superior tree propagated by grafting, and today’s Nanko plums are all clones of it. Selection work by local high school teachers and farmers created a production area.

Bonito and tuna riding the Kuroshio Current. And Kinzanji miso.

Souvenirs

Kishu umeboshi, mandarin oranges, and koya-dofu.

Koya-dofu, or frozen tofu, is a preserved food made at the temples of Mount Koya It is frozen and dried in the cold of winter. Similar foods exist in Shinshu and Tohoku, but this is where the mountain’s name remained in the food’s name.

Shrines and Temples

Wakayama has two mountains of faith with different characters. Mount Koya is a training center of Shingon Esoteric Buddhism, while Kumano is a pilgrimage site where Shinto and Buddhist beliefs blended together. For both, distance from Kyoto and Nara became part of their value. That is because leaving the everyday world behind was itself the purpose of training and pilgrimage.

Kongobuji Temple on Mount Koya is the head temple of the Shingon sect, founded by Kukai in 816. Along the approach to Okunoin, there are said to be around 200,000 graves, from those of Sengoku warlords to ordinary townspeople. Sometimes, the graves of daimyo who were once enemies stand side by side.

The Three Grand Shrines of Kumano refers to the three shrines of Kumano Hongu Taisha, Kumano Hayatama Taisha, and Kumano Nachi Taisha. the head shrine of the approximately 3,000 Kumano shrines said to exist across Japan. Nachi Falls has a drop of about 133 meters, and the waterfall itself is regarded as the sacred object of worship.

The routes connecting these sites are the Kumano Kodo, which was registered as a World Cultural Heritage site in 2004 as part of the “Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range.” There are very few examples in the world where the road itself has become a heritage site.

Sightseeing

Sakinoyu at Shirahama Onsen is one of Japan’s oldest hot springs, appearing even in the Nihon Shoki is considered so. It is often mentioned alongside Arima in Hyogo Prefecture and Dogo in Ehime Prefecture.

Wakayama Castle, Tomogashima, Sandanbeki Cliffs, and Toretore Market.

Traditional Crafts

Nationally designated items are Kishu lacquerware, Kishu chests, and Kishu hera rods, making 3 items.

Kishu lacquerware is counted as one of Japan’s three major lacquerware traditions, along with Aizu, Yamanaka, and Kishu, and developed in the direction of mass-producing affordable everyday goods. While Kyoto lacquerware belonged to the aristocracy, Kishu lacquerware helped bring lacquerware to a much wider public.

For details, see [VILLAGE Report vol.20] Choosing to Make Things Affordably

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References: Wakayama Prefecture, Tanabe City, Koya Town, Kainan City, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Agency for Cultural Affairs, Association for the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries — Value Village Editorial Team