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1i.default=function(){return(0,l.jsx)(r.ZP,{pilgrimage:"shikoku-pilgrimage",category:"history",children:(0,l.jsxs)(s.D,{children:[(0,l.jsxs)(s.I,{id:"kukai",children:[(0,l.jsx)("h2",{children:"Kukai and the Shikoku 88 Pilgrimage"}),(0,l.jsxs)("p",{children:["The Shikoku Pilgrimage (\u56db\u56fd\u904d\u8def) is one of the oldest, most popular, and most revered pilgrimages in Japan. It is a ~1,200km (745 mile) route to ",(0,l.jsx)(o(),{href:"/shikoku-pilgrimage/religious-sites#shikoku-temples",children:"88 Buddhist temples"})," around the island of Shikoku. Every year, pilgrims from around the world conduct this journey ",(0,l.jsx)(o(),{href:"/shikoku-pilgrimage/navigation",children:"by foot"}),", bicycle, motorcycle, car, or bus. No matter their motive or mode of transportation, these pilgrims are known as \u201chenro\u201d (\u904d\u8def) or \u201co-henro-san\u201d (\u304a\u904d\u8def\u3055\u3093) (the honorific version)."]}),(0,l.jsx)("p",{children:"The Shikoku Pilgrimage started roughly ~1,200 years ago. Although its establishment is often attributed to a man named K\u016bkai, its development and popularity originate from the collective efforts of several historical figures. In fact, documents show that K\u016bkai only ever personally traveled to a few mountains on the island where some of the temples are located. His two predecessors, En no Gyoja and Gyogi had inspired many of his works and laid the groundwork for a pilgrimage."}),(0,l.jsx)("div",{className:"content-image",children:(0,l.jsx)(d(),{src:"/images/shikoku-pilgrimage/info/kukai.jpg",alt:"Statute of the famous Buddhist monk Kukai",width:300,height:400})}),(0,l.jsx)("p",{children:"Contrary to popular belief, K\u016bkai did not build all 88 temples which form the pilgrimage today. He never circled the island, nor did he perform the first pilgrimage. Nonetheless, K\u016bkai\u2019s contributions to the prosperity of the Shingon school of Buddhism in Japan and the development of the pilgrimage are of great historical significance, making him the central and most important figure of the Shikoku 88 Pilgrimage."}),(0,l.jsxs)("p",{children:["K\u016bkai (\u7a7a\u6d77) (also known as K\u014db\u014d Daishi (\u5f18\u6cd5\u5927\u5e2b), 774-835), was a Buddhist monk and scholar. He was born in Shikoku within the grounds of ",(0,l.jsx)(o(),{href:"/place/75-zentsuji",children:"Temple 75, Zentsuji"}),". His family were members of the aristocratic Saeki family, a branch of the ancient \u014ctomo clan. Not much is known about K\u016bkai\u2019s early childhood. Under the instruction of his uncle, from the age of 15, his studies were heavily concentrated around Chinese classics. However, after a series of power struggles and political allegations, his family\u2019s name and fortunes took a dive by 791. Around that time, K\u016bkai traveled to Nara, Japan\u2019s capital at the time, to study at the government university, Daigakuryo."]}),(0,l.jsxs)("p",{children:["While studying at the university, K\u016bkai developed a strong interest in Buddhist studies, but did not join any particular school of Buddhism. He returned to Shikoku, his homeland, in search of secluded mountain areas to chant the mantra of the Bodhisattva \u0100k\u0101\u015bagarbha (Kokuz\u014d). Like many of the aesthetic Buddhists at the time, K\u016bkai sought to discover answers and spiritual awakening through isolation in the wilderness and by performing good deeds for the people. The areas he journeyed to include Mount Ishizuchi in Ehime Prefecture and a large rock at ",(0,l.jsx)(o(),{href:"/place/21-tairyuji",children:"Tairyuji, the 21st temple of the pilgrimage"}),". Some believe that ",(0,l.jsx)(o(),{href:"/place/mikurodo-cave-muroto-kochi",children:"a cave in Muroto, Kochi Prefecture"})," was where K\u016bkai finally attained enlightenment. Subsequently, he changed his name to K\u016bkai. This translates to \u2018sky and sea\u2019, describing the view from within the cave. In a Buddhist context, it symbolizes ku - void - sunyata (emptiness); and kai - sea - calmness - Buddha-nature (Bhodicitta)."]}),(0,l.jsx)("p",{children:"In 804, K\u014db\u014d Daishi participated in a government-sponsored diplomatic expedition to China to learn more about the Mahavairocana Tantra. During the height of China\u2019s then Tang dysnasty, when Buddhism was wide-spread, he studied Tangmi (Chinese Vajrayana Buddhism) under the teachings of monk Huiguo. Thereafter, he founded the Shingon school of Buddhism, a new form of Buddhism different from what was practiced in Japan at the time. He also brought back a large number of esoteric objects and texts. By way of these texts, he introduced thousands of new Chinese characters, known as kanji (\u6f22\u5b57), to Japan. Among K\u014db\u014d Daishi\u2019s greatest achievements is the invention of kana (\u4eee), a system of writing still used in the Japanese language to this day as hiragana (\u5e73\u4eee\u540d) and katakana (\u7247\u4eee\u540d)."}),(0,l.jsxs)("p",{children:["In 812, K\u016bkai was acknowledged as the \u201cmaster of esoteric Buddhism\u201d in Japan. In 816, Emperor Saga accepted K\u016bkai\u2019s request to establish a mountain retreat at Mount K\u014dya. K\u016bkai spent his final years there, and occasionally returned to Shikoku, but his project was not completed until after his death in 835. According to legend, K\u016bkai mummified himself while in a deep state of meditation, through a practice called ",(0,l.jsx)("a",{href:"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sokushinbutsu",target:"_blank",rel:"noreferrer",children:"sokushinbutsu (\u5373\u8eab\u4ecf)"}),". It is said that he then entered into an eternal samadhi, and is still alive on Mount K\u014dya, awaiting the appearance of Maitreya, the future Buddha."]}),(0,l.jsx)("p",{children:"Today, K\u016bkai lives on as a prominent figure and founding father of Shingon Buddhist, a major school of Buddhism in Japan."}),(0,l.jsx)("p",{children:"During K\u016bkai\u2019s time, there was no concept of a formal pilgrimage or fixed routes around the island of Shikoku. Shikoku and its four provinces were part of the Nankaido (southern coast), isolated from the mainland. Transportation modes across the waters were scarce and dangerous. However, the government had began to build national temples (kokubunji / \u56fd\u5206\u5bfa) on the island. As more of them were built, several of which were commissioned by K\u016bkai himself, they attracted more and more followers from different parts of Japan, who w
1ould visit these temples one after another. Over time, a circular route began to form, and became more formalized from the 9th century onwards."}),(0,l.jsx)("p",{children:"The tradition of temple stamps obtained at each temple originated in the Edo Period, when traveling was restrictive and highly regulated. Official guards were posted on many major roads who would often question the legitimacy of travelers. To obtain travel permits, pilgrims had to stick to the main paths and receive a proof of visitation at each temple. Temples began to issue \u201csignatures\u201d that allowed pilgrims some degree of freedom of movement and permission to pass through to the next temple. These proofs of passages evolved to the book of temple stamps commonly used by pilgrims in Japan today."}),(0,l.jsx)("p",{children:"As the practice of visiting these temples were popularized, guidebooks started to appear in Japan. Shikoku Henro Michishirube, a guidebook for pilgrims written by Shinnen in Osaka in 1687, documented the 88 temples in order. The guidebook helped further stregthen the legitimacy of the pilgrimage and formalized the temples and a route."}),(0,l.jsxs)("p",{children:["The latter half of the 17th century saw a boom in infrastructure in Shikoku to accommodate pilgrims from all over Japan. Paved roads, rest stops, and signposts were erected to help guide pilgrims along the way. In the 18th century, Daishido (\u5927\u5e2b\u5802) \u2013 a separate temple hall dedicated to K\u016bkai, were built in every temple alongside the main halls. This was when the culture of ",(0,l.jsx)(o(),{href:"/customs-etiquette#osamefuda-nameslips",children:"o-settai"})," became widespread as well."]})]}),(0,l.jsxs)(s.I,{id:"emon",children:[(0,l.jsx)("h2",{children:"Emon Sabur\u014d"}),(0,l.jsx)("div",{className:"content-image",children:(0,l.jsx)(d(),{src:"/images/shikoku-pilgrimage/info/emon.jpg",alt:"Statute of Emon Saburo and Kukai",width:300,height:400})}),(0,l.jsx)("p",{children:"One legend related to K\u016bkai and the Shikoku Pilgrimage is that of Emon Sabur\u014d (\u885b\u9580\u4e09\u90ce), the wealthiest man in Shikoku, who lived in the Ukaana area of Iyo Province (now Matsuyama City in Ehime Prefecture). It goes roughly like this:"}),(0,l.jsx)("p",{children:"One day, a wandering monk visited the home of Emon, begging for food. Emon turned him away, but the monk returned the next day. This time, Emon greeted him by throwing into his begging bowl a chunk of human filth. The monk continued to return for eight consecutive days. Each time, Emon chased him away. On the eighth day, Emon lashed out his rage by attacking the monk with a cudgel, knocking his begging bowl to the ground."}),(0,l.jsx)("p",{children:"The bowl was splintered into eight pieces, and the monk never returned. For the following eight days, Emon\u2019s eight sons died one after the other. After suffering his losses, Emon began a journey around the island of Shikoku in search for the monk K\u016bkai, to beg for his forgiveness."}),(0,l.jsx)("p",{children:"During a span of about four years, Emon circled the island twenty times, each time missing K\u016bkai by a hair (he was always just a bit behind him). Emon then decided to travel in reverse order, increasing his odds of encountering K\u016bkai head-on instead of trailing him."}),(0,l.jsx)("p",{children:"On the side of a steep mountain, Emon\u2019s health began to fail and he became desparate. At long last, K\u016bkai appeared, and forgave Emon for his sins. When asked if he had a final wish, Emon requested to be born as the Lord of his province, so that he could do good for the people there and atone for his sins. K\u016bkai carved the words \u201dEmon Saburo reborn\u201d on a piece of stone, and placed it in the palm of the dying man."}),(0,l.jsxs)("p",{children:["Nine months later, a baby was born to the wife of the Lord of Iyo. For years, the baby\u2019s fist remained clenched, until a priest was summoned. When the child\u2019s palm was revealed, a stone with the words \u201cEmon Saburo reborn\u201d appeared. Today, Emon\u2019s burial site sits between ",(0,l.jsx)(o(),{href:"/place/12-shosanji",children:"Temple 12"})," and ",(0,l.jsx)(o(),{href:"/place/13-dainichiji",children:"Temple 13"}),", next to ",(0,l.jsx)(o(),{href:"/place/joshinan-kamiyama-tokushima",children:"Joshinan"}),". According to legend, the stone that appeared from the baby\u2019s fist resides at ",(0,l.jsx)(o(),{href:"/place/51-ishiteji",children:"Temple 51"}),", called Ishite-ji (\u77f3\u624b\u5bfa) (which means \u201cstone hand temple\u201d). Near ",(0,l.jsx)(o(),{href:"/place/46-joruriji",children:"Temple 46"}),", there are eight burial mounds, which are said to be the graves of his eight sons."]})]}),(0,l.jsxs)(s.I,{id:"koyasan",children:[(0,l.jsx)("h2",{children:"Mount K\u014dya"}),(0,l.jsxs)("p",{children:[(0,l.jsx)("img",{className:"right",src:"/images/info/koyasan.jpg",alt:"Koyasan"}),"K\u016bkai\u2019s body was enshrined on Mount K\u014dya (\u9ad8\u9
11ce\u5c71), located in Wakayama Prefecture (to the south of Osaka). It is the world headquarters of the K\u014dyasan Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism. After Emperor Daigo granted K\u016bkai the honorific title \u201cK\u014db\u014d Daishi,\u201d visits to his tomb have proliferated."]}),(0,l.jsx)("p",{children:"The first Shikoku pilgrims were called \u201chijiri (\u8056),\u201d meaning \u2018wandering ascetics.\u2019 They traveled from Mount K\u014dya to pay visits to sacred places on Shikoku. Today, Mount K\u014dya remains a sacred place where Shikoku 88 pilgrims often visit either before or after undertaking their pilgrimage."})]}),(0,l.jsxs)(s.I,{id:"pilgrimage-today",children:[(0,l.jsx)("h2",{children:"The Pilgrimage Today"}),(0,l.jsx)("p",{children:"The temples and the pilgrimage itself did not resemble their current form until centuries after K\u016bkai\u2019s death. Before K\u016bkai\u2019s time, just a few existed as national temples (\u56fd\u5206\u5bfa) on the island. Others were built near sites from K\u016bkai\u2019s personal life, such as his family home, the site of his enlightenment, and other places where he performed ascetic practices."}),(0,l.jsx)("p",{children:"At one point after K\u016bkai\u2019s death, there were at least 165 temples on the island, with 135 of them claiming K\u014db\u014d Daishi as their founder. During the beginnings of the Shikoku Pilgrimage, temples on the island mainly worshiped the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas \u2013 not K\u014db\u014d Daishi. Temples have since been added and removed from the pilgrimage route. Fourteen of the current 88 temples changed their locations in the mid-sixteenth century."}),(0,l.jsx)("p",{children:"The popularity of the Shikoku pilgrimage grew throughout the centuries, but came to a major halt after World War II (given Japan\u2019s massive economic blows). As the economy revived in the 1950s to 1960s, infrastru
1cture along the pilgrimage was repaired and improved."}),(0,l.jsxs)("div",{className:"content-image",children:[(0,l.jsx)(d(),{src:"/images/shikoku-pilgrimage/info/shikoku-pilgrimage-guide-1990.jpg",alt:"Tateki Miyazaki\u2019s Shikoku Pilgrimage Guide, 1980-1990",width:300,height:400}),(0,l.jsx)("span",{className:"subtle",children:"Tateki Miyazaki\u2019s Shikoku Pilgrimage Guide, 1980-1990. Photo by Don Weiss."})]}),(0,l.jsx)("p",{children:"One man in particular \u2013 named Tateki Miyazaki (\u5bae\u5d0e\u5efa\u6a39, 1935-2010) \u2013 took it upon himself to clear many of the overgrown paths and modernize routes with the red signs that pilgrims rely on to this day. He was the author of one of the most well-known pilgrimage route guides \u2013 \u300c\u7a7a\u6d77\u306e\u53f2\u8de1\u3092\u5c0b\u306d\u3066\u3000\u56db\u56fd\u904d\u8def\u3072\u3068\u308a\u6b69\u304d\u540c\u884c\u4e8c\u4eba\u300d \u2013 also known as the \u201cWalking Henro\u2019s Bible\u201d (\u6b69\u304d\u904d\u8def\u306e\u30d0\u30a4\u30d6\u30eb). Miyazaki endowed the rights to his guide to Naoyuki Matsushita (\u677e\u4e0b\u76f4\u884c), who publishes the Shikoku 88 Route Guide in several languages and editions."}),(0,l.jsx)("p",{children:"As Shikoku\u2019s individuals and businesses began to prosper from the pilgrimage, a bus company in Ehime Prefecture introduced the idea of doing Shikoku 88 bus tours. The \u201chenro buses\u201d were a huge success, and grew to become the most popular medium for doing the pilgrimage. They remain so to this day."}),(0,l.jsx)(n.o0,{children:"Many walking pilgrims are inclined to look down on bus pilgrims \u2013 they should not. Although walking the pilgrimage has an undeniable old world allure, those who cannot walk \u2013 either for health or practical reasons \u2013 still find the bus tour a meaningful experience. To embody the true pilgrim spirit is to accept that everyone goes about their journey in their own way, and to be glad that others can go at all."}),(0,l.jsxs)("p",{children:[(0,l.jsx)("img",{className:"left",src:"/images/info/nokyo-01.jpg",alt:"Pilgrim stamp from Mount Koya"}),"A great variety of bus companies work with the temples and inns to offer packaged tours to pilgrims. If you are walking, expect to occasionally see bus pilgrims queued up at the temple office or chanting en masse."]})]})]})})}},13681:function(e,i,a){(window.__NEXT_P=window.__NEXT_P||[]).push(["/shikoku-pilgrimage/history",function(){return a(90675)}])}},function(e){e.O(0,[4074,9774,2888,179],(function(){return i=13681,e(e.s=i);var i}));var i=e.O();_N_E=i}]);
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