Kumano Kodo – Dual Pilgrim Program. A day of gratitude.

Ever heard of the Dual Pilgrim program? Not many have, I did not know much about it either until I learned about Kumano Kodo.

The Dual Pilgrim program originated in 2015 when officials in Spain and Japan agreed to collaborate and create ‘sister pilgrimages’ for the only two UNESCO-listed pilgrimage routes, the Kumano Kodo Trail in Japan and the Way of St. James i.e Camino de Santiago in Spain. It was developed to celebrate, honor, and share the stories of those who have completed both of these UNESCO World Heritage pilgrimage routes.

Recognized by the United Nations, this Dual Pilgrim program was designed to honor and celebrate those walking both trails. Dual Pilgrim is someone who has walked the Kumano Kodo and the Way of St.James (Camino de Santiago).
To receive the status, pilgrims must complete one of the options for the Way of St. James, and one of the options for the Kumano Kodo, then register at a designated site.

I got nostalgic when I saw the marker in front of Kumano Hongu Taisha showing the Camino De Santiago mile marker and the Shell symbol. It also depicts the walking distance from Japan to Spain if someone has the heart to walk 10,755 km 🙂

I had mentioned earlier about collecting stamps as I was walking through all the shrines on my pilgrim passport. The Dual Pilgrim Credential is a type of passport for pilgrims, used to collect stamps along the trail as a record of their walk. To complete the walk in Santiago you need to go to the pilgrim’s office to receive the ‘completion’ stamp. The completion stamp for the Kumano Kodo is located at the Kumano Hongu Taisha heritage center.

Once you finish both walks based on the routes required for the program, you receive the blessings and honor of this recognition. A beautiful limited edition pin was gifted by the Hongu Taisha Heritage center.

`Dual Pilgrim Taiko Ceremony`

For registered Dual Pilgrims, Kumano Hongu Taisha has a special “Dual Pilgrim Taiko Ceremony”. You get the honor to beat the drum with the Shrine monk and it is a very humbling experience.

During this short ceremony, you can drum on the sacred Taiko to express your feelings, emotions and thoughts. It was a great experience to complete your pilgrimage.

I was so lucky to get to experience this. The monk was the sweetest and kindest one. He told me it is a blessing for ‘the achiever’ and I was teary eyes.