Allison & Abby's Shikoku Pilgrimage

A Guide to Reading our Blog

The way these posts are arranged, to read them in chronological order, you must start at the bottom and work your way back up to the top. Just so you know. Have fun!

Well, here we are again. Back to the beginning. Completing the Shikoku pilgrimage is no joke-- it was very hard, unrelenting work the entire way, but now that we're sitting here in the bus terminal, waiting for the bus back to Ôsaka, I realize that it was worth it.

I might have to throw away these shoes when I get home, though. They served me well, but I think they've pretty much reached the end of their little shoe lives.

Temple 88: Ōkuboji

Ōkuboji
"Large Hollow Temple"

Last stop! Ōkuboji is temple 88 of 88!! We've done it!! Well, almost. We have to head back to Mount Kōya to officially end our pilgrimage. It's not necessary, but hey, we're here, so we might as well. When Kōbō Daishi was here, he enshrined his walking stick here. Because of this, it's traditional for all henro to leave their walking sticks behind once they visit. As much as I'd kind of like to keep mine as a souvenir, Allison and I are going to leave ours, too.

Walking sticks aren't the only things left behind. There's also a large quantity of crutches abandoned here by people who were mysteriously and miraculously cured along the pilgrimage. No one can explain it very well, but I kind of like it that way. If they had an explanation, it wouldn't be as cool.

Alright, on to Mount Kōya!

Temple 75: Zentsūji

Zentsūji
"Right Path Temple"

Want to know something funny? Even though this temple's called the Right Path Temple, Allison and I almost got lost on our way here. Well, not so much lost as left behind. I was busy taking pictures back at the previous temple-- the trees, the clouds, basically anything that suited my fancy, so I sort of zoned out. Lucky for us, Allison was paying attention and managed to hold the bus as I ran frantically to get on board.

This temple's cool. Really cool. Want to know why? It's recognized as being the birthplace of Kōbō Daishi!! Yes, THAT Kōbō Daishi!! The temple got its name from Kōbō Daishi's father's name, Yoshimichi (Zenstv), which literally translates to Right Path. The name Kōbō Daishi was born with was Mao, meaning Real Fish. If you look around, you can see remnants of Mao's life growing up here, like a grave marker showing where he buried his dog.

As you might expect, this is the largest temple on the island. There are multiple shrines, as well as a small town, surrounding it. Allison and I are probably going to spend an extra day here; there's so much to see and do, and we don't want to miss anything.

Temple 70: Motoyamaji

Motoyamaji
"Headquarters Temple"

This temple was founded by Kobo Daishi at the request of Emperor Shomu and it is said that he built the hondo in a single night. This is one of the few temples that was never burned down and is now considered a national treasure. The temple used to be the largest on the island, a sort of headquarters. 2 parts of the temple that we were told to check out were the 5 story pagoda and Nio (gate). In fact, the first floor is rumored to be from the original temple that Kobo Daishi built. others say this is false as the whole temple was burnt down.

I have to say I'm pretty impressed with Abby and myself. We're not doing too bad and we haven't completely fallen apart yet. The end is near.

Temple 65: Sankakuji

Sankakuji
"The Triangular Temple"

Another pretty temple. This one got its name from a triangular goma altar located near the center of the temple grounds. The mountain (Sangō) it sits on is called Yurei-san, which means Ghost Mountain; the story goes that there used to be a ghost living near the temple who loved to cause trouble. Fortunately, Kōbō Daishi got rid of it.

Seeing the mountain being referred to as Sangō reminded me of Inu Yasha, but I think that's partly due to the fact that we're getting kind of punchy by now, so things are frequently funnier than they ought to be. A little sleep ought to help that. Allison's giving me a look now, so I should sign off so we can find our lodgings. Bye for now!!

Temple 58: Senyūji

Senyūji
"Hermit in Seclusion Temple"

This temple was actually built on the orders of the Emperor at the time , Tenchi. The legend of the temple says that the hermit Abo recited sutras here for 40 years before mysteriously disappearing.

And of course, we have to climb another mountain. Thank goodness for cameras because I sure don't care much for the scenery right now with my blisters. I don't know how many people really care what we have to say about these temples, but for this one I think I'm gonna stop and take a nap or Abby will have to deal with me being all grumpy.

Temple 52: Taisanji

Taisanji
"Big Mountain Temple"

So here we are at Big Mountain Temple, and you know what I found out? This one wasn't built by Gyōgi! The majority of the ones we've visited were, but instead, this one was built by Mano Kogorō, who was a rich merchant from neighboring Kyūshū. He built it in the 6th century to honor Kannon for protecting him when his ship sank whilst en route to Ōsaka. When he washed up on shore, he looked up to see a bright light coming from the mountaintop, so naturally he went up to discover what caused it. Atop the mountain he found a statue of Kannon, so he built the temple on that very spot. There's a festival held here every year on May 17th in Mano's honor. The hondō here is a National Treasure, and was built without metal nails.

This is an especially pretty temple. There's a wonderful view, and the buildings are beautiful. I'd kind of like to stay here for a few days to rest, but we ought to keep moving.

Temple 51: Ishiteji

Ishiteji
"Stone Hand Temple"

The legend of this temple states that there was once a very stingy man named Emon Saburō. One day a pilgrim came to his door asking for alms, but Emon refused. This went on until the 8th days when Emon got so angry he took the pilgrim's bowl and smashed it into 8 peices. The pilgrim left to continue his journey, but over the next 8 days each of Emon's 8 sons died. Realizing what he had one, Emon went to the temples clockwise to find the pilgrim and beg forgiveness. He walked the pilgrimage 20 time and never found the pilgrim. He then decided to walk it counter-clockwise. On his 21st pilgrimage, Emon met Kobo Daishi at the base of the mountain leading to temple 12. As he was worn out and dying, he begged Kobo for forgiveness. Kobo told his that all his hard work and repentance had removed his sins and asked if Emon had any last wishes. Emon said that he's like to be reborn as a lord so that he could do good and make up for past wrongs. Kobo took a stone, wrote something on it and buried Emon (who had passed away), marking his grave with his cedar walking stick. Years later, the wife of a daimyo gave birth to a son who would not open his left hand for 3 years after his birth. A priest succeded in opening the child's hand and found a stone that said "Incarnation of Emon Saburō" on it. The boy later grew up to be a daimyo.

Temple 58, I'm starting to feel a bit crushed beneath all this information. Especially with how involved this temple's legend is. I do like this one though, especially since it's not all "you did somehting bad, you can never be forgiven". Except for the whole all of his sons dying thing it's a pretty good morality story.

Abby's off looking at the temple some more so I think I'm gonna just sit around for a bit. These pilgrimages are tiring!

Temple 38: Kongōfukuji

Kongōfukuji
"Temple of Everlasting Happiness"

Alright, I have to admit, from the get go, I was really excited about coming to this temple. I mean, come on! It's called the Temple of Everlasting Happiness. What more could you want?? This is another temple founded by Kōbō Daishi, and since it's located on the very tip of Cape Ashizuri, it's frequently referred to as Ashizurisan. The temple itself is modeled after Potalaka (or Fudaraku in Japanese), meaning the Land of Pure Kannon. Kannon is the Japanese name for the bodhisattva (enlightened one) of compassion (you might be more familiar with the name Guanyin, which is her Chinese name).

The name Ashizuri means "foot stomping" in Japanese. This name comes from a legend about this temple as written in a book from the 14th century called Kagerō Nikki written by Lady Nijō. The story goes that there were two monks living at the temple; a master and a novice. One day, the novice monk came across another young monk who he discovered lurking about the temple grounds. Since he was a friendly, humble man, the novice offered to share his food with the stranger. This went on for a little while, but eventually the master monk discovered what his novice had been doing. He immediately ordered his novice to stop sharing his food with the mysterious young monk, who, when the novice explained the situation to his acquaintance, offered to bring the novice to his home to share food. The novice agreed, but as the two were headed towards the shore, the master followed them. When they were a little ways off, he called after them, "Where are you going?" The response he received was an unpleasant one-- "To the land of Kannon." The master immediately recognized his mistake, and overcome by regrets of his pride and spiritual blindness, stamped his feet repeatedly. Apparently, if you go and look, his footprints are still visible on the rocks by the shore.

I love the legends that come along with the different temples, but I think Allison and I should head for our lodgings for the night. We're both really tired, and we've still got a long journey ahead of us.

Temple 30: Zenrakuji / Anraquji

Zenrakuji/Anrakuji
"The Temple of True Joy/The Temple of Everlasting Joy"

So, these temples are pretty interesting because they fight over which one of them is the 30th temple. The original temple 30 is Zenrakuji. The fight began in 1868 when Zenrakuji was damaged in a riot during the return of Shintōism, and the Buddhist purge following the Meiji Restoration. The Shinto Shrine and statue of Kobo Daishi that once resided in Zenrakuji were moved to temple 29. Eventually the Shrine was moved to Anraquji which then began calling itself temple 30. For over half a century pilgrims were not allowed to visit the original grounds of Zenrakuji. Supporters of Zenrakuji tried to get it rebuilt and re-established as temple 30, but they were unsuccessful at first. Anraquji was declared temple 30 and Zenrakuji a "place of historical significance". However. negotiations continue to this day and Zenrakuji is the current temple 30.

It's a little weird to think about building having rivalries don't you think? Well, I think so. It's one of those things that doesn't seem like it could apply to an inanimate object. Anyway, I thought these temples were pretty cool even though we only got to go to Zenrakuji.

Temple 26: Kongōchōji

Kongōchōji
"Vajra Peak Temple"

Well, here we are at temple 26, Varja Peak Temple. It's really pretty; everything looks really old. I know that sounds like it ought to be a given, but the thing is that a LOT of the Shikoku temples were burned down a while ago, then rebuilt in the 1960s-70s. Like many others, this temple was founded by Kōbō Daishi, but is usually referred to as Nishidera, not Kongōchōji.

Apparently, it's been known for a long time that a Tengu, or flying hermit, stayed here once for about 100 years before flying to Cape Ashizuri. There's also a small museum that's home to a display of whaling equipment, since this area was once famous for it.

Even though the travelling is starting to wear on us a bit, I think we're having a good time. Sometimes it's hard to tell-- we can get kind of grouchy when we're really tired. Oh well. Maybe a good night's sleep will help. More later.

Temple 21: Tairyūji

Tairyūji
"Great Dragon Temple"

So, we've got another temple involving dragons in some way. The dragon comes from a legend that described a "miraculous image" appearing with a dragon guarding it. This is a temple that has some solid history as Kobo Daishi wrote about his experiences. Apparently, when Kobo got to the summit of the mountain, he spend 50 days attempting to get enlightenment. He was unsuccessful but received spiritual encouragement to continue his journey.

I'd like to say I'm in pretty good shape. I mean I used to do karate, I play football with my cousins and I run around all the time. But this pilgrimage is really making me work. I can't remember the last time I tired myself out this much on a regular basis. At least writing these posts give us a bit of a break.

Abby and I thought we'd be all tough and walk up the trail instead of taking the cable car (the temple is at an elevation of 2000 feet) but now I'm about ready to just lay down, go to sleep and never wake up.

The scenery's been great though and I hope I'll appreciate the experience, eventually.

Temple 19: Tatsueji

Tatsueji
"Temple of Arising a Bay"

When Allison and I arrived here, all really I wanted to do was take a nap. I didn't get my wish, but what we did find out is that Tatsueji used to mark a barrier for the Awa Province, and so it is customary for pilgrims to do a mental self-evaluation while here. They are asked to reflect on their journey thus far-- has it been worth it? What have they gained from it? Have they held true to the values expected of all henro (pilgrims) while on the pilgrimage? If a pilgrim were to ask themself these questions and answer negatively to them, according to tradition, they must return to temple 1 and start the trek all over again.

Something else we found while at Tatsueji is the small, red statue of Binzuru, one of the original 16 disciples of the Buddha. According to the legends, Binzuru came from a family of doctors (he was one himself), but had a penchant for drinking too much, which frequently caused him problems. One day, a wealthy man came to see the Buddha to ask for his help; there was an evil spirit inhabiting his house that he could not get rid of himself. Since the Buddha could not go himself, he sent Binzuru in his place, but warned him not to drink. When Binzuru arrived at the man's house, he succeeded in dispelling the spirit, and in his honor, the rich man held a banquet, at which Binzuru drank. He ended up drinking so much that he lost his power over the evil spirit and it resumed inflicting ill upon the household. When the Buddha heard of what Binzuru had done, he was very angry and expelled him from his community. Eventually, however, the Buddha grew older, and when he was about to die he called Binzuru to him. He told him that he forgave him for his actions, but that Binzuru would never be able to reach Nirvana. Instead, Binzuru must stay in this world to take care of the people here. That's why there's a statue of him here. Since Binzuru was a doctor, people come to visit his statue, rub his statue with one hand, then place that hand over a part of their body that has been ailing them. Neat, huh?

Even though we've only been at this for about two weeks, my feet are starting to regret embarking on this pilgrimage at all. Fortunately for me, we packed supplies to handle blisters, so with a little will power and a couple Advil, we should be good to go. This is one of those moments when I'm glad Allison and I aren't walking the entire way. I feel bad for the folks who made that choice. Their feet must be about ready to fall off.

Anyway, we've got to get some sleep, so I'm going to sign off now. We'll write again soon!

Temple 12: Shōsanji

Shōsanji
"Burning Mountain Temple"

Phew, geez that was a long climb. Shōsanji is the first of the mountain temples and it was definitely very different from the flatland walking. As hard as the climb was though, it just made the view all the more spectacular and the accomplishment more fulfilling.

The name, meaning Burning Mountain Temple, refers to a legend. It is said that En no Gyōja, a wanderer, came to the mountain, subdued a dragon and founded the temple. A hundred years later Kobo Daishi came to the temple and found the dragon had come back to terrorize the people. He managed to seal the dragon in a cave and carved 2 statues to guard the entrance.
It's a cool temple and I definitely liked hearing the legend of the dragon.

I think we've rested long enough, time to head back down and towards the next temple (hopefully the trip down will be a bit easier).

Temple 2: Gokurakuji

Gokurakuji
"Pure Land Temple (Paradise Temple)"

Wow, this is only the second (technically third if you count Mount Koya) temple and Abby and I already get to see a National Treasure. One of the legends of this temple is that it was really hard for fishermen to make a living in Naruto bay because the horizon lights scared away the fish. The fishermen then built an artificial hill to prevent this. When a temple was built it was known as the "Sun Light Mountain".

Another interesting fact about the temple is that there is a 1,000 year old cedar tree known as the Cedar of Long Life planted in the courtyard. If you pray while touching it you will be granted a long life. Nowadays the tree is very popular with women for easing childbirth. The legend that explains this is that there was a pregnant women who had miscarried several times. She walked the pilgrimage in reverse order and arrived at Temple 2 just as her labor was beginning. When she got to the temple, Kobo Daishi helped her deliver a healthy child.
Unfortunately, the original temple was burned down in the 16th Century. Apparently, many of the newer temples are dedicated to childbirth.

Geez, so much culture and history in just the 2nd temple. I don't know if my brain will be able to take in the past and legends of all 88 temples. Wish me luck.

Temple 1: Ryōzenji

Ryōzenji

"Vulture's Peak Temple"

Now it begins. This is technically our second stop, since we actually began our trek at Mt. Koya, but nevertheless it's temple #1: Ryōzenji, or "Vulture's Peak Temple." This is where Allison and I are going to purchase our pilgrim outfits and any other supplies we're going to need. Since it's the most popular starting point, it's a little more tourist-y than the other temples will be, but I don't mind it.

Anyway, as we were heading out, Allison and I found out a little information about the first temple. Ryōzenji is said to have been founded in the 8th century by Gyōgi, a well known monk during the Nara period, on behalf of Emperor Shōmu. The funny thing is, most people doubt Gyōgi ever visited Shikoku, but more than 30 temples on the island name him as their founder. Moreover, even though he's regarded as the founder, Gyōgi isn't the one who named Ryōzenji-- Kōbō Daishi did that when he visited in 815. He named the temple Ryōzenji because, while he was here, he had a vision of Shaka Nyorai, or Sakyamuni, a Japanese Buddha who embodies perfect virtue, reciting the Lotus Sutra atop Ryōjusan (Vulture's Peak). He chose the name Ryōzenji in honor of his vision.

As cool as that is, Allison and I really need to keep moving, so we're off to our next temple! Bye for now!!

Mount Koya

高野山
Kōya-san
"Mount Koya"

So, our first stop on our pilgrimage is the Mount Koya temple. It is a common starting point for many pilgrims even though it's not one of the official 88 temples. It's a very holy site due to it's being the center of Shingon Buddhism, a Buddhist sect that came into existence in 805. It's founder is Kobo Daishi, a religious figure. Even though we knew a bit of what to expect from Japanese temples from our research, seeing one in person was pretty different. Mount Koya is really cool and interesting looking. It looks like a lot of work and careful planning went into the construction.

Abby and I need to get back to walking, so we'll post again later.

A Brief Note...

Really quickly, I just wanted to mention that due to the sheer quantity of temples on this pilgrimage, Allison and I are only going to write about our favorite ones that we encountered on our journey. Hope you enjoy them as much as we did!!

Before we leave...

So, Abby and I thought it would be a good idea to actually research the pilgrimage before we head off into the unknown. So with that in mind, here's what we found.

The pilgrimage is made up of 88 "official" temples, but there 200 bangai (temples that aren't officially part of the 88).
Traditionally, the pilgrimage is walked, but nowadays cars, buses, and bicycles are fine.
When walking, the pilgrimage is about 746 miles long and takes anywhere from 30 to 60 days to finish.
The Japanese word for pilgrim is "Henro." -There is a traditional pilgrim outfit that is worn.-The outfit consist of several parts:

byakue-white pilgrim coat
wagesa-scarf indicating religious pligrimage
sugegasa-straw hat
kongōtsue-walking stick, identifies people as pilgrims

The more traditional way of doing the pilgrimage is on foot.
Nowadays there is a tour bus that most pilgrims use.
An important fact we discovered is that there is no right or wrong way to do the pilgrimage, only more or less traditional. It doesn't matter what you wear, how you travel, or how many temples you visit.

Can't wait to get started!

Packing List

Yay! Allison and I just got our approved Japanese Visas in the mail, so we're almost set for our pilgrimage. For the past few weeks, we've been taking long walks to get in shape for the trek we're going to make. Fortunately, we'll be able to take buses for parts of the journey and there are places to stay along the way, but before we leave, Allison and I need to pack our lightweight backpacks with:

Japanese Phrasebook
Metal water bottles
Extra pairs of comfy shoes
Cushioned socks
Non-perishable snacks
3 sets of basic clothing
Maps of both the island and the pilgrimage route
Band-Aids & Adhesive Tape (in case of blisters)
Lightweight Fleece Jackets
Hats & Bandannas
Sunscreen & Chapstick
Flashlights
Rain Ponchos & Small Umbrellas
Small Notebooks & Pens
Digital Camera & Extra Batteries
Money (Not very much. We'll need this to buy food and our traditional Henro garb, as well as pay for our lodging.)

Here we go!!

Works Cited

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