From about the end of the Heian period, people, mainly nobles, often made a visit or a pilgrimage to the Kumano-sanzan (three major shrines of the Kumano-hongu-taisha Shrine, the Kumano-hayatama-taisha Shrine and the Kumano-nachi-taisha Shrine), the Koya-san mountains and the Ise-jingu Shrine.
平安時代末期ごろから貴族を中心として熊野三山・高野山・伊勢神宮への参詣巡礼が盛んに行われるようになった。