Kumano Nachi Mandala Poster

"Nachi pilgrimage mandala painting from Nachi Shrine, Kumano This pilgrimage mandala depicts the scene around the Kumano Nachi Shrine, one of the three shrines of Kumano, and is indispensable for leaning about the Kumano religion that existed in the middle ages. It incorporates various sacred sites and tales in an attempt to persuade those who look at the painting to visit Nachi. Of particular interest is the Nachi waterfall in the top right corner and which itself is considered to be a kami. In the middle of the bottom of the painting we can see under the torii a boat leaving for the Fudaraku Sea as it heads to the pure land of the Kannon. Kumano nuns and other believers are thought to have carried this picture to all parts of Japan to spread belief in the Kumano religion. By using the Kumano mandalas the Kumano Bikuni (nuns) taught that Kumano was a land of divinity whose gods accepted all people rich or poor, pure or sinful, man or woman, without conditions. They used the Kumano Jukkai Mandala to teach that every thought, word, and action has an effect in this life and in the next, and that grace could be achieved in this life, while peace would be achieved in the next. The Sankei Miya Mandala, on the other hand, taught Japanese people about the kind of ceremonies and practices in Kumano which were leading people to an awakening to the true meaning of life and death."