Yunomine Onsen is a hot spring system and resort town in Tanabe, near Hongu Town in southern

Wakayama Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Wakayama Prefecture has a population of 876,030 () and a geographic area of . Wakayama Prefecture borders Osaka Prefecture to the north, and Mie Prefecture and Nara Prefecture to ...

, Japan. The Tsuboyu bath is located there, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Description

Yunomine Onsen is considered one of the oldest thermal spring systems in Japan, and was discovered 1,800 years ago. For over 1000 years, people have made pilgrimage to the onsen to participate in hot spring water purification rituals to prepare for visiting

Kumano Hongu Taisha literally means 'Bear Field'. It is a name adopted by various places in Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea o ...

shrine to worship. The UNESCO inscribed Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage Route passes through the onsen town. It's located in a narrow, deep valley in the Kumano mountain range, along the Nakahechi Trail of the Kumano Kodo. A hot creek flows through Yunomine Onsen. The World Heritage site of Tsuboyu Bath; a small, wooden cabin houses a stone-lined hot spring. The soaking pool only fits one or two people. Legends exist claiming that the waters of Tsuboyu have "miraculous healing" properties. Several

kabuki plays is a classical form of Japanese theatre, mixing dramatic performance with traditional dance. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily stylised performances, its glamorous, highly decorated costumes, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some ...

refer to the Tsuboyu bath including the tale of “Oguri Hangan and Princess Terute”, in which the former is healed from a debilitating illness. Folklore asserts the hot spring water changes in color seven times throughout each day. Legends claim that the thermal spring water was found flowing out of a stone statue of

Yakushi Nyorai Bhaiṣajyaguru (, zh, t= , , , , ), or ''Bhaishajyaguru'', formally Bhaiṣajya-guru-vaiḍūrya-prabha-rāja ("Medicine Master and King of Lapis Lazuli Light"; zh, t=藥師琉璃光(王)如來, , , ), is the Buddha of healing and medicine i ...

, the Buddha of healing and medicine. The statue is now located at the Toko-ji Buddhist temple. The Yunomine Public Bathhouse is located next to the Toko-ji temple. A stone sculpture memorializing the monk and high priest Genpo is located on the bathhouse grounds. One of the public hot springs called Yuzutsu is used as a public community cooking basin for preparing

onsen tamago ''Onsen tamago'' ( or , lit. 'hot spring egg') is a traditional Japanese low temperature boiled egg which is slow cooked in the hot waters of ''onsen'' in Japan. The egg has a unique texture in that the white tastes like a delicate custard (mil ...

(hot spring eggs), and vegetables. Some of the traditional ryokans use the hot spring water to cook rice porridge. People living in the area have used the hot springs to cook since at least the time of the

Edo Period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

(1603 to 1868). Today tourists can buy eggs and vegetables in a net to cook in the 90°C water. Locals claim that vegetables cooked in the spring water lose any inherent bitter flavor, they also claim the spring water tenderizes meat as it cooks. Today, the geothermally heated spring water is piped into residents individual homes. Yunomine Onsen/Tsuboyu Bath is the only hot spring that is featured as part of the UNESCO World Heritage pilgrim route, Kumano Kodo. Historically pilgrims would soak in an area where the sulfur-rich hot spring water flows into the cool waters of the Yunotani River before praying at the

Shinto shrine. The Tsuboyu soaking pool that is now built on this spot.

Water profile

The hot springs are high in sulfur, sodium and hydrogen carbonate. They emerge from the source at 90 °C / 194 °F. Potassium, calcium, ferrous iron, chorine and sulphate are also found in the mineral water.

Gallery

File:Yunomine Onsen 20131019 - panoramio.jpg, Yunomine Onsen File:Kumano Kodo World heritage Yunomine Onsen Tsuboyu 湯の峰温泉つぼ湯69.JPG, Tsuboyu Bath at Yunomine Onsen File:Kumano Kodo pilgrimage route Yunomine Onsen World heritage 熊野古道湯の峰温泉143.JPG, One of many soaking pools File:Kumano Kodo pilgrimage route Yunomine Onsen World heritage 熊野古道湯の峰温泉61.JPG, Kumano Kodo pilgrimage route Yunomine Onsen world heritage site File:Kumano Kodo World heritage Yunomine Onsen Tsuboyu 湯の峰温泉つぼ湯21.JPG, Tsuboyu bath File:Kumano Kodo pilgrimage route Yunomine Onsen World heritage 熊野古道湯の峰温泉30.JPG, Yuzutsu hot spring used for cooking

Onsen Tamago ''Onsen tamago'' ( or , lit. 'hot spring egg') is a traditional Japanese low temperature boiled egg which is slow cooked in the hot waters of ''onsen'' in Japan. The egg has a unique texture in that the white tastes like a delicate custard (mil ...

Description

Water profile

Gallery

References

Further reading