19. Kumanogawa (Wakayama)

Photographer’s comments: It is believed that the name “Kumano” originally meant a “place of dark spirits”—in other words, the underworld. I felt I understood why when I visited the river and saw the bright, otherworldly color of the river with my own eyes. In the Middle Ages, this became a place of pilgrimage, where people would pray for the return of the spirits of the dead.

River data: From its source in Mt. Sanjō, Mt. Inamura and Mt. Daifugen in the Ōmine mountain range, merges with the Kitayamagawa and flows into the Sea of Kumano. The area experiences heavy rainfall, averaging up to 2,800mm per year. Length: 183km; Grade-one river.