Nachi Falls and the Three-Story Pagoda Coloring Pages

A Big Waterfall in the Kumano Mountains

Nachi Falls and the Three-Story Pagoda is a big waterfall in Nachikatsuura Town, Wakayama Prefecture.
Water drops straight down from a cliff that is 133 meters high.
As a single stream falling down, it is the tallest waterfall in Japan.
Since long ago, people worshipped this waterfall itself as a god.

A Place for Prayer in the Mountains

Around Nachi Falls and the Three-Story Pagoda, a shrine called Kumano Nachi Taisha and a temple called Seiganto-ji stand side by side.
Long ago, people walked mountain paths called the Kumano Kodo for many days to come pray here.
In 2004, these prayer places and paths in the mountains became a World Heritage site called the "Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range."

The Vermilion Three-Story Pagoda

The 1st coloring page shows the three-story pagoda at Seiganto-ji Temple.
It has 3 roofs stacked up, and a long ornament called a sorin on top.
The old pagoda burned down in a fire in 1581.
The pagoda you see now was rebuilt in 1972, for the first time in about 400 years.
They say you can see Nachi Falls and the Three-Story Pagoda right in front of you from the top floor of the pagoda!

A Famous View of the Waterfall and Pagoda

The 2nd coloring page shows only Nachi Falls and the Three-Story Pagoda.
White water falls straight down from a rugged cliff.
The 3rd coloring page shows a very famous view where you can see both the three-story pagoda and Nachi Falls and the Three-Story Pagoda together.
The bright red pagoda, the green mountain, and the white waterfall make a wonderful view that represents Kumano.
Try coloring the 1st page and the 2nd page first, and then challenge the 3rd page!

A Shrine and a Temple Side by Side

On Mount Nachi, Kumano Nachi Taisha and Seiganto-ji stand right next to each other.
In old Japan, people often worshipped gods and Buddha together in the same place.
Mount Nachi is a rare place that still shows us how things were back then.
When you walk up the cobblestone slope called Daimonzaka on the Kumano Kodo, big cedar trees stand on both sides, so you feel like an old traveler.
Nachi Falls and the Three-Story Pagoda is close to the parking lot, and if you walk down a few stone steps, you can stand right in front of the waterfall.
When you stand near the waterfall, the water spray and the loud roaring sound will wrap all around you.

The pagoda is vermilion, white, and green

The pillars and railings of the three-story pagoda are a vivid vermilion.
If you color them orange first and then layer red over the shadowed parts, they will look just like vermilion.
Leave the walls white, and try coloring the roofs blue-green or light green.
The copper plates on the roof have rusted over time, giving them a greenish color!

Leaving the waterfall white works best

Leave most of the waterfall water as the white of the paper without coloring it.
If you add light blue or light gray only along the edges of the water lines, it will make the falling water look powerful.
If you color the rocky cliff behind the waterfall gray or brownish gray, the white waterfall will really stand out.

The deep forests of Kumano

For the mountain forest, use dark green, green, and yellow-green to color each group of trees differently.
If you color the distant mountains lightly with bluish green, you can easily see how the mountains overlap.
In autumn, it is fun to use orange and yellow here and there to make fall foliage.
Set it next to the Mount Fuji coloring page and enjoy Japan's mountain World Heritage sites!

Leave the spray and mist white

Leave the water spray under the waterfall and the mist on the mountains white without coloring them.
If you color the surrounding rocks and trees a little darker, the white parts will look soft and floating.

For the 3rd page, go from close to far

On the 3rd page, the three-story pagoda in front, the forest in the middle, and the waterfall and mountains in the back overlap.
If you color the pagoda and trees in front the darkest, and the mountains in the back the lightest, it will look like a deep mountain scene.
Leave the clouds in the sky white, and try putting light gray only along the edges of the clouds.

The Sacred Rope Above the Falls

At the very top of Nachi Falls, there is a sacred rope called a shimenawa.
That is because the waterfall itself is a god.
Twice a year, people from the shrine go up the cliff to put up a new rope.

The Fire Festival

Every year on July 14, a festival called the Nachi Ogii Matsuri takes place at Kumano Nachi Taisha Shrine.
People use big, burning torches to purify the path to the waterfall.
It is also called the "Nachi Fire Festival." Watching the giant flames right next to the waterfall is amazing!

A Statue of Buddha Inside the Three-Story Pagoda

Inside the Three-Story Pagoda at Seiganto-ji Temple, there are statues of Buddha.
On the first floor, you can find Fudo Myoo, a guardian deity who used to be worshipped at Nachi Falls long ago.
From the upper floors of the pagoda, you can look north and see Nachi Falls.

The Shrine of Yatagarasu

At the shrines of Kumano, a three-legged crow called Yatagarasu is loved as a helper of the gods.
A long time ago, Emperor Jimmu got lost, and Yatagarasu showed him the right way to go.
You can even see Yatagarasu on the Japan National Football Team logo!
At Nachi Taisha Shrine, there is a special stone that is said to be Yatagarasu after it turned into a rock.