Travelers seldom take the path to Akitsu Oji. It is thought to have been located in the Akitsu area of Tanabe city. The oji was on the route of the Kumano Kodo traveled in the Heian era (794-1192).

In the Heian era, many pilgrims belonged to the noble class. 

Some of them wrote travel diaries and poetry which are held in museums to be researched by scholars. As a result, pilgrims in the present age can still follow the paths to the holy areas.

The name Akitsu Oji is first seen in Teika Fujiwara's Kumano-Gokoki travel journal in 1201.