Sunrise at Yasaka Yahama

On the night of my tenth day walking the Shikoku Ohenro pilgrimage I stayed in the tsuyado at Saba Daishi Temple .

Next morning, Saturday September 24th, I awoke to a glorious sunrise.

This section of the Tokushima coast is named Yasaka Yahama, which means 8 slopes & 8 beaches.

Just offshore was a small group of islands, and the sun rose from behind the largest.....

Shikoku Henro Huts

Along the 1,200k Shikoku Pilgrimage known as Ohenro there are hundreds of "rest huts". Often little more than the kind of picnic shelter you find in parks..... a roof over a table and seats..... they are where walking pilgrims can take a break from the weather, rest, eat, and quite often spend the night.

There is an organization that helps set up these huts around the island, and they are often very interesting architecturally, if not very practical from the perspective of someone looking to spend the night. There are , I think, 55 of these so far.

Some are set up just by a local community and provide free refreshments and snacks.... part of the tradition of Osettai.

The most interesting one I have found so far is this one in the mountains of Ehime. The nut itself was nothing special, but right next to it was a wood-fired bath!!!! .... I was there too early in the day to stop and try it out.....

Often these smaller locally-supported ones will have a port-a-loo next door and more weatherproofing for those needing to spend the night. This one also had a couple of electric sockets for charging phones and for other electrical appliances....... one guy I walked with for a while carried a small electric hairdryer to heat his sleeping bag while in the mountains in mid winter....

Shikoku Pilgrimage Day 10..... a morning of shrines

Friday September 23rd, 2011, the tenth day of my walk along the Shikoku Pilgrimage and I was still in Tokushima.

By 8:30 I had finished visiting Yakuoji, temple number 23 of the pilgrimage and I spent the rest of the morning heading down route 55 towards Mugi.

Along the way I passed numerous shrines some small, some a little grander, and I stopped in to check them out.

I didn't bother taking notes so I don't know their names nor the kami enshrined therein. Almost all the pilgrims I encountered on my walk just walked past these shrines, concentrating on reaching the next pilgrimage temple, but I believe in the old days pilgrims would have done what I was doing, and stop in at every sacred site along the route.

Shikoku Pilgrimage Temple 32 Zenjibuji

Located on a hilltop on the Pacific coast south of Kochi City, Zenjibuji is temple number 32 of the 88 temples that make up the pilgrimage.

The grounds contained a lot of rocky outcroppings and is said to resemble Fudaraku, the paradise of Kannon placed in southern India.

The honzon of this Shingon temple is an 11 faced Kannon, said to be carved by Kobo Daishi who is also claimed as the temples founder, though other sources attribute both to Gyoki.

While I was visiting a group of modern day yamabushi were in the process of leaving. In their immaculately clean costumes and air-conditioned tour bus it was hard for me to reconcile them with the yamabushi of old.

Fudo Myoo of Shikoku part 11

Continuing with more photos of Fudo Myo statues found along the Shikoku Pilgrimage. This first one is at Jofukuji, bangai temple 14, commonly known as Tsubaki-do, in Ehime near the border with Kagawa on the way to Unpenji.

This smaller one is also at Tsubaki-do

When I reached Unpenji there had been snow overnight.....

Set among a group of other statues, Zentsuji, temple 75, is a massive complex due to it being the birthplace of Kobo Daishi.

This final one is at temple 76, Konzoji, not far from Zentsuji.

Flowers of Shikoku part 3

Seeing lots of flowers in recent weeks prompts me to post these pics of flowers encountered along my walk on the Shikoku Pilgrimage.

I didn't walk it in the spring, but the other 3 seasons, so these photos are from late autumn and winter.

Of course not everything encountered in Japan is real..... fake flowers being particularly popular at temples......

Though lots of flowers are grown under glass year round to supply the need....

In late winter when I finished the pilgrimage the camelias were out. The two previous posts of Shikoku flowers are here and here

Zenkakuji Temple 30 on the Shikoku Pilgrimage

Located north of Kochi City, Zenrakuji was not temple number 30 for almost 100 years. It was/is located right next to a big shrine, now called Tosa Jinja, and when Shinto and Buddhism were seperated the temple was damaged. The honzon, Amida Nyorai, was moved to Anrakuji which then became temple 30.

In 1929 Zenrakuji was re-established but no buildings were erected until 1938, however Anrakuji refused to return the honzon. Later Zenrakuji changed to the same sect as Anrakuji with the same priest presiding over both, but Anrakuji stayed as temple 30. At some point in the 1970's the honzon moved back to Zenrakuji and it once again became temple 30.

The original temple  is credited to Kobo Daishi but it was built under orders of Emperor Shomu and re-established by Kobo Daishi.

The current temple is made of concrete and is architecturally not interesting. Neighboring Tosa Shrine however does have a lot of nice, traditional architecture.

Fudo Myoo of Shikoku part 10

Continuing with statues of Fudo Myoo encountered while I walked the Shikoku Pilgrimage, this first one is at temple 58, Senyuji, just outside Imabari. It is a miniature Fudo, but nicely detailed.

On the way down from temple 60, the mountain temple, Yokomineji, I stopped in at Shirataki Okunoin, not part of the pilgrimage, and here I found a waterfall looked over by Fudo and two of his young boy servants usually known as Kimkara and Cetaka.

This small Fudo was in the grounds of Temple 64, Maegamiji, in Saijo City.

As was this last one.....

Shikoku Pilgrimage Day 10

On the morning of my tenth day walking the Shikoku Pilgrimage I awoke in Kiki to the promise of a fine day as I headed to Hiwasa and the next pilgrimage temple Yakuoji. The main road headed through a long tunnel so I decided to take the longer, but more scenic route on the small,  windy road that headed over the hills.

From the top I could see the distinctive tower of Yakuoji and also the reconstructed castle in the small town.

Before the construction of the new tunnel this would have been the main road down the coast, and there were several small Shinto shrines along the way.

Dropping down into a small bay there were nice views down the rocky coast.

I am guessing this would have been the original pilgrimage route as there were also numerous wayside Buddhist statues, most with fresh offerings placed in front of them.

Shikoku Pilgrimage Temple 29 Tosa Kokubunji

Tosa Kokubunji, temple 29 on the Shikoku Pilgrimage has a large Niomon housing a fine pair of Nio. The gate dates back to 1655, though it was dismantled and repaired in 1987

Emperor Shomu ordered the construction of Kokubunji, state-proteting temples, in every province, and the 4 on Shikoku are all part of the pilgrimage. The Tosa Kokubunji was built by Gyoki in the middle of the eighth Century.

According to kegend Kobo Daishi performed a ceremony here. The temple burnt down many times, inluding by Chosokabe, but this was one of the temples he rebuilt when he became a Buddhist towards the end of his life.

There is quite a nice garden that includes poems inscribed in rocks, and a bell tower. The temple is now Shingon and the honzon is a thousand-armed Kannon.