I arrived in Japan as an ALT only a few months before the pandemic had started. I was extremely excited to travel and explore many of the cities I had heard about, but due to global circumstances we were asked not to travel to the bigger cities. Once things calmed down a bit, I decided to explore the island I was living on, Shikoku. I visited the temple in my town and found out that it was part of the Shikoku Henro, a pilgrimage that consists of 88 numbered Buddhist temples scattered along the 4 prefectures on the island. Through my travels to these temples, I learned a lot about the history of the pilgrimage and met many wonderful people along the way.
Around 800 AD, a monk named Kūkai (now known as Kobo Daishi, lit. The Grand Master who Propagated the Dharma) walked along this path and is said to have either visited or established these temples. The path starts at Ryōzen-ji in Naruto, Tokushima, and ends at Ōkubo-ji, in Sanuki, Kagawa. Before and after the journey, many pilgrims take a trip to Mount Koya in Wakayama Prefecture. A bit south-east of Osaka, this temple was founded by Kūkai and is said to be his resting place. This temple is still the headquarters of one of the major schools of Buddhism, Shingon, which Kūkai brought from China and helped flourish in Japan. Those those who have completed their journey along the 88 temples often end their trip here, but because of the distance and terrain, often rely on other modes of transportation to reach the temple.
While you can use whatever transportation you like to make it to these temples, many take on the intimidating challenge of walking on foot. The entire distance of the path most pilgrims walk is around 750 miles, and walking the path often takes around 30 – 60 days depending on your pace along with whether or not you decide to use a bit of public transportation to get to some of the more remote temples. Along the way these pilgrims are usually offered hospitality by local residences, in the form of anything from free food to places to stay the night. Throughout the warmer months of the year if you’re driving around a city that’s close to a temple, you’ll often be able to spot quite a few of these pilgrims clad in white attire, carrying walking sticks, and oftentimes wearing sedge hats.
As an ALT at the time, I didn’t have 60 days of vacation that I could use to run off into the Shikoku forests, so I decided to drive along this path. The areas I was able to visit were some of the most beautiful, hidden parts of Japan that I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing. With that said, because of how remote some of these locations were, the roads were an absolute nightmare to drive on. From roads that should definitely have been designated as one-way, to narrow, cliffside dirt paths, I was always afraid the next temple would be my last. While this was some of the most stressful driving I experienced in Japan, at the end of each terrifying road was the reward of an intricately built temple in a tranquil environment to ease my stress. I don’t consider myself that spiritual of a person, but I often felt a strange sort of calm and content energy during my time at these temples, and for me, that feeling can be hard to find.
If you decide to take on the Shikoku Henro, make sure to pick up a nōkyōchō, or pilgrim’s book, before you set out. You can find the seat some of the temples or you can buy one online. There are various types, but these books generally contain images or information about the 88 temples, each with their own page and a place that you can get stamped and signed by the temple for around 300 yen. Along with this, you’re usually given prayer cards with each signature, and each are unique to each temple.
During my travels I met many people who were taking on the pilgrimage. Each had their own reasons for taking on the daunting task, and it was incredibly inspiring to hear some of these pilgrims’ stories. For the sake of a loved one who was sick or had recently passed, for good tithings in the coming year, and even just for the sake of adventure. These stories were extremely inspiring, and I learned a lot about Japan through these travelers as well as the monks that I was able to speak with.
While these temples are a bit out of the way, it’s more than worth making some time to at least travel to a few of them if you end up in Shikoku at some point. While I think each temple has its own charm, here are a few that I have fond memories of.
Unpen-ji in Kagawa
Kongofuku-ji in Kochi
Zentsu-ji in Kagawa
Senyu-ji in Ehime
Tairyu-ji in Tokushima
I arrived in Japan excited to spend time in the bustling streets of Tokyo and Osaka, but over time, I’ve realized that the smaller, more nuanced areas of Japan is where some of the more interesting and beautiful parts of the culture lie. While you may be excited to visit some of the bigger cities, there is so much to see and do in some of the more unassuming areas of Japan, and these are experiences that you can’t get anywhere else. If you get a chance to visit Shikoku, don’t forget to stop by one of these temples. It might even inspire you to follow in the steps of Kobo Daishi!