Japan Heritage story
The Shikoku pilgrimage: 88 temples around an island
「四国遍路」
The Shikoku pilgrimage is a 1,400 km loop around the island linking 88 temples tied to the monk Kukai. Anyone may walk it, in any order and in parts, and locals have helped pilgrims along the way for centuries.
Key facts
- Theme
- Forests and timber
- Era
- Muromachi, Azuchi-Momoyama, Edo, Meiji
- Region
- Shikoku
- Official name in Japanese
- 「四国遍路」
- Official subtitle in Japanese
- ～回遊型巡礼路と独自の巡礼文化～
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 愛媛県・高知県・徳島県・香川県 各県内５８市町村
The story
For over 1,200 years people have walked to the temples linked to Kobo Daishi (Kukai), the monk who founded Shingon Buddhism, around the four provinces of Shikoku. Unlike pilgrimages that go to one holy place and back, this is a loop. Each province has a stage name: Awa (Tokushima) for resolving to set out, Tosa (Kochi) for training and struggle, Iyo (Ehime) for awakening, and Sanuki (Kagawa) for completion.
Pilgrims, called ohenro-san, wear white robes and a sedge hat and carry a staff that stands for Kukai walking beside them. Locals give them food, drinks, directions and sometimes a free bed. This kindness, osettai, is the heart of the pilgrimage.
How to do it
- Walking all 88 temples takes more than 40 days.
- You can walk it in sections over several trips, one province at a time, in reverse order or in any order you like. Every temple counts the same.
- Many people now go by bus, train or car, but plenty still walk.
See more shrines and temples around Japan.
Good to know
- If someone offers osettai, accept it with thanks: giving it is a good deed for them, a way to join the pilgrimage through you.
- Try a few temples first to see if you enjoy it, then come back for more sections.
- Some mountain stretches are steep and old, so pack light and wear good walking shoes.
Questions travellers ask
Do I have to be Buddhist to do the Shikoku pilgrimage?
No. People of any nationality or religion can become pilgrims.
How long is the Shikoku pilgrimage?
About 1,400 km. Walking all 88 temples takes more than 40 days, but you can do it in sections.
Where it comes from
More heritage stories from the same area
- Awa, home of indigo: the blue that dyed all of Japan
- Awaji: the first island in Japan's creation myth
- From forest railway to Japan's top yuzu road
- Kitamaebune: the merchant ships that made Japan's port towns rich
- The Murakami Kaizoku: sea lords of the Geiyo Islands
- The stone islands of the Seto Inland Sea
Local foods from the same area
Crafts from the same area
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.