Monday, September 18, 2017

Shikoku 88 Temples Pilgrimage


The Shikoku 88 Temples Pilgrimage is a pilgrim route on the island of Shikoku in the western part of Japan, the smallest of its islands. It follows an ancient pilgrim trail believed to be the route Kōbō Daishi, a famous Japanese scholar and priest who is the founder of the Shingon Buddhism, walked on his ascetic training around Shikoku. The main purpose of the pilgrimage is to visit the 88 main temples or sacred places associated with the pilgrimage. There are also 20 bangai (outside the numbers) temples associated with the pilgrimage. If you visit the 88 main temples, the trail is about 1150km long; if you also visit the 20 bangai temples, it will be about 1300km. The route is also considered circular, as it is customary to return to the temple you started your pilgrimage from. It is also customary to visit Kōyasan after you finish your pilgrimage, the mountain top where Kōbō Daishi established the Shingon school of Buddhism (in 819) and where he is said to be sleeping in eternal meditation. On your travel around Shikoku, you will pass through the four provinces of Shikoku that is also considered the four stages of enlightenment. Tokushima prefecture (place of spiritual awakening), Kochi prefecture (place of ascetic training), Ehime prefecture (place of enlightenment), Kagawa (place of nirvana).

The motto for the pilgrimage is "Dōgyō Ninin" (We Two, Traveling Together). In the fall of 2017, I took it upon me to be a henro and traveled to Shikoku where I walked with Kōbō Daishi around the island, here you will find my tale:

Day   1 (21.09):Ryōzenji - Anrakuji
Day   2 (22.09):Anrakuji - Kamojima
Day   3 (23.09):Kamojima - Nabeiwa
Day   4 (24.09):Nabeiwa - Kokufu
Day   5 (25.09):Kokufu - Kushibuchi
Day   6 (26.09):Kushibuchi - Byōdōji
Day   7 (27.09):Byōdōji - Hiwasa
Day   8 (28.09):Hiwasa - Kaifu
Day   9 (29.09):Kaifu - Ozaki
Day 10 (30.09):Ozaki - Kongōchōji
Day 11 (01.10):Kongōchōji - Tōnohama
Day 12 (02.10):Tōnohama - Kagami
Day 13 (03.10):Kagami - Chikurinji
Day 14 (04.10):Chikurinji - Tanemaji
Day 15 (05.10):Tanemaji - Shōryūji
Day 16 (06.10):Shōryūji - Susaki
Day 17 (07.10):Susaki - Iwamotoji
Day 19 (09.10):Irino Matsubara - Ibiru
Day 20 (10.10):Ibiru - Tosa Shimizu
Day 21 (11.10):Tosa Shimizu - Mihara
Day 22 (12.10):Mihara - Ipponmatsu
Day 23 (13.10):Ipponmatsu - Iwamatsu
Day 24 (14.10):Iwamatsu - Uwajima
Day 25 (15.10):Uwajima - Uwa
Day 26 (16.10):Uwa - Uchiko
Day 27 (17.10):Uchiko - Kuma Kōgen
Day 28 (18.10):Kuma Kōgen - Kuma Kōgen
Day 29 (19.10):Kuma Kōgen - Ishiteji
Day 30 (20.10):Ishiteji - Horie
Day 31 (21.10):Horie - Imabari
Day 32 (22.10):Chikamiyama
Day 32 (22.10):Imabari - Taisanji
Day 33 (23.10):Taisanji - Iyo Miyoshi
Day 34 (24.10):Iyo Miyoshi - Hōjuji
Day 35 (25.10):Ishizuchisan
Day 35 (25.10):Hōjuji - Ishizuchi Jinja
Day 37 (27.10):Iyo Mishima - Awai
Day 38 (28.10):Awai - Iyadaniji
Day 39 (29.10):Iyadaniji - Marugame
Day 40 (30.10):Marugame - Kokubunji
Day 42 (01.11):Ritsurin Kōen - Nagaoji
Day 43 (02.11):Nagaoji - Sanbonmatsu
Day 44 (03.11):Sanbonmatsu - Ryōzenji
Day 45 (04.11):Tokushima
Day 46 (05.11):Kudoyama - Kōyasan
Day 47 (06.11):Kōyasan
Epilogue (07.11):Nara
Epilogue (08.11):Kyoto
Epilogue (09.11):Tokyo

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