Shikoku Pilgrimage

The 88 sacred places of Shikoku Pilgrimage (四国八十八箇所, Shikoku Hachijūhakkasho) is an important pilgrimage of eighty-eight temples on the island of Shikoku, Japan. It is believed all eighty-eight temples were visited by the famous Buddhist monk Kūkai, who was born in Zentsūji, Shikoku in 774. There are only two places known to be visited by Kukai which are mentioned in his own writing. Also in the pilgrimage, there are over 200 bangai - temples without an number. In order to complete the pilgrimage, it is not necessary to visit the temples in order; in some cases it is even considered lucky to travel in reverse order. The pilgrimage is traditionally completed on foot, but modern pilgrims will use cars, taxis, buses, bicycles, or motorcycles. The walking course is approximately 1,200km long and can take anywhere from 30 to 60 days to complete. Pilgrims who visit all of the temples are known as henro (遍路) and are often recognizable by their white clothing, sedge hats, and walking sticks. Many henro begin and complete their pilgrimage by visiting Mount Kōya in Wakayama Prefecture, which was settled by Kūkai and remains the headquarters of the Shingon sect of Buddhism. The 21km pilgrim route up to Koya-san still exists, but most henro use the train.

Related Topics:
Pilgrimage - Shikoku - Japan - Kūkai - Zentsūji - 774 - Mount Kōya - Wakayama Prefecture - Shingon

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In addition to the main pilgrimage on the island of Shikoku, there is a miniature pilgrimage on the island of Shōdoshima, north of Takamatsu. Many minature Shikoku pilgrimages exist throughout Japan. Some are simply a stone containing images of the main deiety of each temple, whereas others are quite large and require several hours or days to complete.

Related Topics:
Shōdoshima - Takamatsu

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