S P O T ／ SPOT-127
Folk & Ritual
Kujira no Kuyo-to Whale Memorial Tower
鯨の供養塔くじらのくようとう
An Edo-period memorial stone in Nigishima-cho, Kumano. Kanko Mie records that it was erected in Kanbun 11 (1671) and that its face is inscribed 'Memorial Tower for Thirty-three Whales.' In Kumano fishing folklore, taking thirty-three of a major fish (yellowtail, tuna, etc.) was celebrated as 'Man-no-Iwai' (Celebration of Ten Thousand), and this tower is said to have been raised in connection with that practice. The site sits at the intersection of animal memorial tradition and the religious life of a fishing community.
N O P H O T O
H I G H L I G H T S
Highlights
- 01An Edo-period stele inscribed 'Memorial Tower for Thirty-three Whales' (1671)
- 02Tied to the 'Man-no-Iwai' custom of marking every 33 yellowtail or tuna caught
- 03A folk-religion stone where animal memorial and maritime livelihood meet
A C C E S S ／ M E T A
Essentials
- Location
- Mie Prefecture Kumano City
- Address
- 三重県熊野市二木島町字相川
- Fee
- 無料（個人所有の文化財・要事前確認）
- Hours
- 要事前確認（熊野市教育委員会）
- Status
- 現存