Travel

Priests Replace Giant Rope at Nachi Falls

Wakayama, Jul 10 (News On Japan) - At Kumano Nachi Taisha in Nachikatsuura, Wakayama Prefecture, priests conducted the seasonal replacement of the sacred rope (shimenawa) that hangs across Nachi Falls.

Nachi Falls, regarded as the sacred object of worship at the UNESCO World Heritage Site Kumano Nachi Taisha, is adorned with a shimenawa, which is renewed twice a year in summer and winter.

On the morning of July 9th, five priests dressed in white ceremonial robes and wearing traditional eboshi headgear carried a 26-meter-long rope made of woven bleached cotton to the top of the waterfall. Secured with safety lines, they carefully replaced the rope while paying close attention to their footing on the steep terrain.

With the new shimenawa in place, it is said that full summer has officially arrived in the Nanki region.

Source: YOMIURI

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