ABOUT
About this spot
Seiganto-ji is a Tendai Buddhist temple on Mt. Nachi in Nachikatsuura, Higashimuro District, Wakayama Prefecture. Its principal image is Nyoirin Kannon, and it is known as Temple No. 1 of the Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage. The grounds are part of the Kumano Sanzan National Historic Site and of the World Heritage site "Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range", registered in 2004. Tradition credits the monk Ragyo Shonin, said to have come from India, with founding the temple in the 4th century under Emperor Nintoku, but this is only legend. The site was probably a place of nature worship centered on Nachi Falls from early on. From the medieval to the early modern period it was united with Kumano Nachi Taisha as a Shinto-Buddhist Shugendo training center of seven temples and 36 lodgings, and Retired Emperor Kazan is said to have spent three years in retreat here. Oda Nobunaga's forces burned the Nyoirin Hall, and Toyotomi Hideyoshi had it rebuilt in 1590. In 1874 the temple separated from Kumano Nachi Taisha and took the name Seiganto-ji. The main hall, rebuilt on Hideyoshi's orders in 1590, is an Important Cultural Property, and the Hokyointo pagoda inscribed 1322 is regarded as the oldest of its kind in Japan. The three-story pagoda was rebuilt in 1972, and the view of its vermilion form with Nachi Falls dropping behind it is one of the best-known scenes of Mt. Nachi. From the foot of the approach to the main hall there are 473 stone steps, which take a little under 20 minutes. According to information confirmed by the temple, it is open 7:00-16:30 every day (hours may change at year-end and on the 1st of each month). From JR Kii-Katsuura Station, take a local bus for about 30 minutes to the Nachisan stop, then walk about 15 minutes. By car it is about 8 km from Nachi Station. Kumano Nachi Taisha is right next door, Nachi Falls is roughly 600-700 m away, and Kumano Hongu Taisha is about 22 km away in a straight line. There is parking for about 100 cars.
Last updated October 18, 2026