Dragons are a common motif in the fountains or chozuya provided in temples and shrines for cleansing the hands and mouths of worshipers before prayer. Kumano Nachi Taisha shrine was built in homage to Nachi-no-Taki waterfall's kami (spirit god). Don't miss the iconic view of thundering Nachi-no-Taki waterfall (133 m, Japan's tallest) paired with Seiganto-ji pagoda, in Nachikatsuura, Higashimuro District, Wakayama Prefecture, on the Kii Peninsula, Honshu, Japan. Kumano Nachi Taisha shrine fuses Buddhist and Shinto influences along the 1000+ year pilgrimage routes of Kumano Kodo. For most of their history, the Buddhist Seiganto-ji and Shinto Kumano Nachi Taisha shrine functioned as one religious institution. The "Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range" form an impressive entry on UNESCO's List of World Heritage Sites. Access: by bus from Nachi Station (20 min) or Kii-Katsuura Station (30 min). Ask driver to stop at base of the Daimonzaka trail ("Daimonzaka" stop); or at the entrance to Nachi Waterfall ("Taki-mae"); or at the bus terminus 10 minutes climb below Nachi Shrine ("Nachi-san"). Cars can park at Seigantoji Temple. I recommend this remarkably scenic, short walk (3.5 km with 265 meters gain): starting from Daimon-zaka bus stop, ascend a stone-paved path, humbled by massive evergreens, up to the gates of Nachi Taisha shrine, descend to Seiganto-ji pagoda, then to the falls, just below Taki-mae bus stop.
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