88 Temple Pilgrimage Travel Guide
From Wikitravel
The 88 Temple Pilgrimage (八十八ヶ所巡り hachijūhakkasho-meguri) is a 1,647-kilometer circuit around the island of Shikoku, Japan.
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Understand
The 88 Temple Pilgrimage is Japan's most famous pilgrimage route. The circuit loops around the entire island of Shikoku through 88 temples plus an optional 20 "unnumbered" (番外 bangai) temples. All the temples are said to have been founded by monk and scholar Kūkai (空海), better known by his posthumous title Kōbō Daishi (弘法大師), who among his many achievements is said to have created the kana syllabary, brought the tantric teachings of Esoteric Buddhism from China, developed it into the uniquely Japanese Shingon sect and founded Shingon's headquarters on Mount Koya near Osaka.
While most modern-day pilgrims (an estimated 100,000 yearly) travel by tour bus, a minority still set out the old-fashioned way on foot, a journey which takes about 60 days to complete. Pilgrims, known as o-henro-san (お遍路さん) in Japanese, can be spotted in the temples and roadsides of Shikoku clad in a white jacket emblazoned with the characters Dōgyō Ninin (同行二人), meaning "two traveling together" — the other being the spirit of Kobo Daishi. Most (but not all) temples offer basic but affordable lodging for pilgrims.
Prepare
Completing the course the traditional way on foot is a serious undertaking that demands several months of time. Good physical fitness and stamina is required to endure the stress of constant walking up and down the hills of Shikoku, in the burning sun and the pouring rain.
Get in
It is traditional to prepare by visiting Mount Koya, but the route itself starts at Ryōzenji, near Tokushima, and you also have to return here in order to complete your pilgrimage.
Go
The canonical list of temples is as follows:
| No. | Temple | City | Prefecture |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ryōzenji (霊山寺) | Naruto | Tokushima |
| 2 | Gokurakuji (極楽寺) | Naruto | Tokushima |
| 3 | Konsenji (金泉寺) | Itano | Tokushima |
| 4 | Dainichiji (大日寺) | Itano | Tokushima |
| 5 | Jizōji (地蔵寺) | Itano | Tokushima |
| 6 | Anrakuji (安楽寺) | Kamiita | Tokushima |
| 7 | Jūrakuji (十楽寺) | Awa | Tokushima |
| 8 | Kumataniji (熊谷寺) | Awa | Tokushima |
| 9 | Hōrinji (法輪寺) | Awa | Tokushima |
| 10 | Kirihataji (切幡寺) | Awa | Tokushima |
| 11 | Fujiidera (藤井寺) | Yoshinogawa | Tokushima |
| 12 | Shōzanji (焼山寺) | Kamiyama | Tokushima |
| 13 | Dainichiji (大日寺) | Tokushima | Tokushima |
| 14 | Jōrakuji (常楽寺) | Tokushima | Tokushima |
| 15 | Kokubunji (国分寺) | Tokushima | Tokushima |
| 16 | Kan'onji (観音寺) | Tokushima | Tokushima |
| 17 | Idoji (井戸寺) | Tokushima | Tokushima |
| 18 | Onzanji (恩山寺) | Komatsushima | Tokushima |
| 19 | Tatsueji (立江寺) | Komatsushima | Tokushima |
| 20 | Kakurinji (鶴林寺) | Katsuura | Tokushima |
| 21 | Tairyūji (太竜寺) | Anan | Tokushima |
| 22 | Byōdōji (平等寺) | Anan | Tokushima |
| 23 | Yakuōji (薬王寺) | Hiwasa | Tokushima |
| 24 | Hotsumisakiji (最御崎寺) | Muroto | Kōchi |
| 25 | Shinshōji (津照寺) | Muroto | Kōchi |
| 26 | Kongōchōji (金剛頂寺) | Muroto | Kōchi |
| 27 | Kōnomineji (神峰寺) | Yasuda | Kōchi |
| 28 | Dainichiji (大日寺) | Noichi | Kōchi |
| 29 | Kokubunji (国分寺) | Nankoku | Kōchi |
| 30 | Zenrakuji (善楽寺) | Kōchi | Kōchi |
| 31 | Chikurinji (竹林寺) | Kōchi | Kōchi |
| 32 | Zenjibuji (禅師峰寺) | Nankoku | Kōchi |
| 33 | Sekkeiji (雪蹊寺) | Kōchi | Kōchi |
| 34 | Tanemaji (種間寺) | Haruno | Kōchi |
| 35 | Kiyotakiji (清滝寺) | Tosa | Kōchi |
| 36 | Shōryūji (青竜寺) | Tosa | Kōchi |
| 37 | Iwamotoji (岩本寺) | Kubokawa | Kōchi |
| 38 | Kongōfukuji (金剛福寺) | Tosashimizu | Kōchi |
| 39 | Enkōji (延光寺) | Sukumo | Kōchi |
| 40 | Kanjizaiji (観自在寺) | Ainan | Ehime |
| 41 | Ryūkōji (竜光寺) | Mima | Ehime |
| 42 | Butsumokuji (佛木寺) | Mima | Ehime |
| 43 | Meisekiji (明石寺) | Seiyo | Ehime |
| 44 | Daihōji (大宝寺) | Kumakōgen | Ehime |
| 45 | Iwayaji (岩屋寺) | Kumakōgen | Ehime |
| 46 | Jōruriji (浄瑠璃寺) | Matsuyama | Ehime |
| 47 | Yasakaji (八坂寺) | Matsuyama | Ehime |
| 48 | Sairinji (西林寺) | Matsuyama | Ehime |
| 49 | Jōdoji (浄土寺) | Matsuyama | Ehime |
| 50 | Hantaji (繁多寺) | Matsuyama | Ehime |
| 51 | Ishiteji (石手寺) | Matsuyama | Ehime |
| 52 | Taizanji (太山寺) | Matsuyama | Ehime |
| 53 | Enmyōji (円明寺) | Matsuyama | Ehime |
| 54 | Enmeiji (延命寺) | Imabari | Ehime |
| 55 | Nankōbō (南光坊) | Imabari | Ehime |
| 56 | Taisanji (泰山寺) | Imabari | Ehime |
| 57 | Eifukuji (栄福寺) | Imabari | Ehime |
| 58 | Sen'yūji (仙遊寺) | Imabari | Ehime |
| 59 | Kokubunji (国分寺) | Imabari | Ehime |
| 60 | Yokomineji (横峰寺) | Saijo | Ehime |
| 61 | Kōonji (香園寺) | Saijō | Ehime |
| 62 | Hōjuji (宝寿寺) | Saijō | Ehime |
| 63 | Kichijōji (吉祥寺) | Saijō | Ehime |
| 64 | Maegamiji (前神寺) | Saijō | Ehime |
| 65 | Sankakuji (三角寺) | Shikokuchuo | Ehime |
| 66 | Unpenji (雲辺寺) | Ikeda | Tokushima |
| 67 | Daikōji (大興寺) | Yamamoto | Kagawa |
| 68 | Jinnein (神恵院) | Kanonji | Kagawa |
| 69 | Kan'onji (観音寺) | Kanonji | Kagawa |
| 70 | Motoyamaji (本山寺) | Toyonaka | Kagawa |
| 71 | Iyadaniji (弥谷寺) | Mino | Kagawa |
| 72 | Mandaraji (曼荼羅寺) | Zentsuji | Kagawa |
| 73 | Shusshakaji (出釈迦寺) | Zentsūji | Kagawa |
| 74 | Kōyamaji (甲山寺) | Zentsūji | Kagawa |
| 75 | Zentsūji (善通寺) | Zentsūji | Kagawa |
| 76 | Konzōji (金倉寺) | Zentsūji | Kagawa |
| 77 | Dōryūji (道隆寺) | Tadotsu | Kagawa |
| 78 | Gōshōji (郷照寺) | Utazu | Kagawa |
| 79 | Tennōji (天皇寺) | Sakaide | Kagawa |
| 80 | Kokubunji (国分寺) | Kokubunji | Kagawa |
| 81 | Shiromineji (白峯寺) | Sakaide | Kagawa |
| 82 | Negoroji (根香寺) | Takamatsu | Kagawa |
| 83 | Ichinomiyaji (一宮寺) | Takamatsu | Kagawa |
| 84 | Yashimaji (屋島寺) | Takamatsu | Kagawa |
| 85 | Yakuriji (八栗寺) | Mure | Kagawa |
| 86 | Shidoji (志度寺) | Sanuki | Kagawa |
| 87 | Nagaoji (長尾寺) | Sanuki | Kagawa |
| 88 | Ōkuboji (大窪寺) | Sanuki | Kagawa |
Stay safe
Travelling in Shikoku is very safe, especially when you wear the traditional henro robes. People will be very helpful when they recognise you as pilgrim, and try to participate in your journey by giving you small gifts (Osettai), which you must always accept. The weather can be perilous at times; even during the optimal seasons of spring and fall it may rain for days - particularly in the south. Proper preparation and staying up to date with weather reports is a must. You are, however, never far from civilisation in case of emergency.
July and August are very hot and attempting to walk the pilgrimage in this time is asking for a bad case of heatstroke. April and October are the best times to go, though accomodations will be particularly crowded.
Get out
You aren't done when you reach the 88th temple — you still have to trek back to the 1st to officially complete your pilgrimage! And if you've made it this far, it's only good manners to return to Mount Koya to give your thanks to Kobo Daishi.
