It is nearing the end of fall, and according to the Chinese calendar Winter begins in about a week or so. However there is a good chance of still being able to catch the leaves turning red in Japan, depending on how far south you are. I am planning a trip to Shikoku in early December to do a portion of the (四国遍路 Shikoku Henro) or Shikoku Junrei (四国巡礼), a multi-site pilgrimage of 88 temples associated with the Buddhist monk Kūkai (Kōbō Daishi) on the island of Shikoku. Being rather far south, I should be able to catch the tail end of the leaf viewing season.
Kōbō Daishi Kūkai, born at Zentsū-ji (Temple 75) in 774, studied in China, and upon his return was influential in the promotion of esoteric Buddhism. He established the Shingon retreat of Kōya-san, was an active writer, undertook a programme of public works, and during visits to the island of his birth is popularly said to have established or visited many of its temples and to have carved many of their images. He is posthumously known as Kōbō Daishi.
The legends and cult of Kōbō Daishi, such as the episode of Emon Saburō, were maintained and developed by the monks of Kōya-san who travelled to expound Shingon and were active, along with other hijiri, in Shikoku. In the Edo period, the policy of tochi kinbaku (土地緊縛) restricted and regulated the movement of ordinary people. Pilgrims were required to obtain travel permits, follow the main paths, and pass through localities within a certain time limit, with the book of temple stamps or nōkyō-chō helping to provide proof of passage. The collecting of these temple stamps has continued to the present day.
Shikoku literally means four provinces, those of Awa, Tosa, Iyo, and Sanuki, reorganised during the Meiji period into the Prefectures of Tokushima, Kōchi, Ehime, and Kagawa. The pilgrim's journey through these four provinces is likened to a symbolic path to enlightenment, with temples 1-23 representing the idea of awakening (発心 hosshin), 24-39 austerity and discipline (修行 shugyō), 40-65 attaining enlightenment (菩提 bodai), and 66-88 entering nirvana (涅槃).
The trip will encompass around 15 of the 88 temples in six days and will be centered around the Tokushima area. More details on the trip to follow...
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