In ancient time, Nakahechi was called Kiji, as a set of Kiiji route from Osaka.
Nakahechi route cuts across the Kii Peninsula from the west to the east to visit three grand shrines in Kumano.
This route was an official for emperors when they made pilgrimages.
You will see many small shrines (or shrine remains) called Oji, the branch shrines of the three grand shrines on the way. They stopped there to hold rituals for their safe passage offering dance, poem writing sessions and Sumo wrestling. You will also find many historical stories regarding the pilgrimages which were written in the travel logs of long time ago.
Since Nakahechi route consists of many hilly sections, you should prepare proper gears for hiking. If you are not good at walking on continuous uphills and downhills, we don’t recommend to take this route taking many days.