Oyunohara is the former site of Kumano Hongu Taisha, swept away by the great flood of 1889. The sacred delta at the confluence of the Kumano, Otonashi, and Iwata rivers once held 12 shrine halls. Today, Japan's largest torii gate (34 m tall, 2000) marks the site. A World Heritage component.

Oyunohara is a sacred delta located at the confluence of the Kumano, Otonashi, and Iwata rivers, revered since ancient times as the spiritual heart of Kumano worship. Although the exact date of its founding is unknown, historical records indicate that shrine halls were already established here by th…