JAPANESE CULTURE, EXPLAINED
四国遍路
The Shikoku pilgrimage links 88 principal Buddhist temple sites across the island’s four prefectures. Pilgrims worship at the temples and travel between them on foot or by vehicle, joined by devotion to Kōbō Daishi.
Each fudasho is a place for worship and offerings. Temple numbers identify the sites, but pilgrims can visit them in different orders and arrange the journeys between them to suit their circumstances, as the temple association explains.
Tokushima Prefectural Museum traces early activity to ascetic practice along Shikoku’s coasts in the late Heian period. Medieval sacred sites had varied origins, and devotion to Kōbō Daishi later helped link them. Edo-period guidebooks and travel accounts spread information about the developing pilgrimage network.
The temple association’s usual visit begins at the gate and purification facilities. Pilgrims then worship at the main hall and Daishi hall before going to the inscription office. Recitation, copied sutras and offering slips accompany this worship. The association allows practical adjustments to the sequence.
The association describes a usual sequence; pilgrims can adjust it.
Dōgyō ninin expresses the belief that Kōbō Daishi accompanies the pilgrim. Settai is voluntary help offered to pilgrims and can carry religious meaning for the giver. The association describes returning an offering slip in thanks.
Its equipment guide explains the kongō-zue staff as a walking aid and symbol of the Daishi. A hat protects against sun, wind and rain, and a white garment can be worn over ordinary clothes.
HENRO’s history describes a decline associated with religious policy and war after the mid-nineteenth century, followed by renewed popularity during postwar economic growth. Cars and tour buses joined walking as ways of making the pilgrimage. Visits can be completed in one journey or spread over several trips.
No. The temple association does not require numerical order.
No. It belongs within worship and offerings at the site.
No. It is voluntary assistance, sometimes with a religious meaning for the giver.