THE SHIKOKU HENRO: A PILGRIMAGE ALONG 88 TEMPLES

At the end of June 1994, a group of 9 students and graduates from the
department of Japanology of Leiden University, under the guidance of their
teacher in Buddhist Studies, H. van der Veere, took the first steps on one
of the oldest pilgrimages in Japan. This pilgrimage which is located on the
mountainous, southern island of Shikoku, covers a distance of almost one
thousand miles and takes the pilgrim along 88 temples. 

By Marc Buijnsters

The origin of the pilgrimage in its present form goes back to the 17th
century when some monks on Mount Koya reinstitutionalized it, but literary
sources from the 12th century indicate that even at that time the Shikoku
pilgrimage had already been established. According to the tradition, this
pilgrimage was begun by Kþbþ Daishi Kþkai (774-835), founder of one of the
most important Buddhist schools in Japan, the Shingon Mikkyþ. The reasons
this pilgrimage is undertaken are manifold but the wish to seek recovery
from illness, to show repentance, to express gratitude, or just pure
devotion are the most common. Most of the Japanese pilgrims nowadays, and
it is estimated that each year about 200,000 of them come to Shikoku,
perform the pilgrimage by bus, taxi, car, or bicycle but there are still
some who do it as everybody used to do in earlier centuries: on foot.
Our plan to walk the Shikoku pilgrimage originated some eight months before
the actual start. At that time, the group had already been studying the
historical and doctrinal developments of the Shingon Mikkyþ school in
general and texts written by Kþkai in particular for some time. Gradually
the idea took shape that some actual experience would be a prerequisite in
order to get a better understanding of what was being studied. It soon
became obvious that a thorough preparation would be compulsory for the
realization of our project. The next eight months we worked hard on our
physical condition, managed to collect the necessary funds from both Dutch
and Japanese sponsors, prepared our equipment, and solved most of the
logistical problems. We were going to do the pilgrimage in the traditional
way: on foot, in white pilgrim clothes, shaven-headed, following the
Buddhist precepts as closely as possible, and performing the usual rituals
at all of the 88 temples. We only had one slight disadvantage: because of
the fixed university holiday periods, we had to walk the pilgrimage in the
hot, humid summer season.
Afterwards it turned out that 1994 was Japan's hottest summer since 1875.
Temperatures during the 54 days it took us to complete the pilgrimage
varied between 35 and 38 degrees Celsius, only interrupted once when a
typhoon hit us on the road. Because of the heat, we soon adjusted our daily
schedule. Each morning we awoke at four o'clock, had some breakfast, and
went on our way an hour later.
Apart from the white pilgrim clothes we wore, each of us had a traditional
Japanese straw hat, a wooden walking stick symbolizing Kþkai (in Japanese
this custom is called dþgyþ ninin: the pilgrim is accompanied on his way by
Kþkai, who protects him), and a small white bag containing items like a
small prayer book, a kesa (surplice), a tiny bell, incense, and a rosary.
One of the customs that still exists is giving alms to the pilgrims. On our
way we met all kinds of people, varying from a hermit, a famous TV-actor, a
shaman for housewives, students, monks, and businessmen. We were often
given fuse (alms) which we could use for ourselves or which we would offer
at the next temple. These alms could be food, soft drinks, and money but we
were also given flowers, raincoats, and even lodging for the night. The
shaman we met gave one of us, who was suffering from a painful ankle,
medical treatment in the form of magical incantations which turned out to
be quite healing.
The road took us through many woods, rice-fields, and green valleys, over
steep mountains, along highways, across rivers, through tiny villages and
big cities, and of course, to the 88 temples. Each time we arrived at one
of the temples, we followed a prescribed ritual. First the pilgrim washes
the dust from his walking stick,then he washes his own hands and mouth.
After the ritual cleansing the pilgrim goes to the hondþ (main temple
hall), in front of which he recites several Buddhist sutra, especially the
popular Hannya-shin-gyþ (Wisdom Heart Sutra). A popular custom is to buy a
blank book at the beginning of the pilgrimage and have a calligraphy
painted in it at each of the 88 temples. It is believed that one after
one's death, when one can show this book to the deity at the gate of
heaven, one obtains permission to enter this heaven immediately regardless
of one's sins. The ritual of reciting sutra is repeated in front of the
Daishi-dþ (hall dedicated to Kþkai). Finally, the pilgrim offers incense
and sometimes some coins as well.
It is difficult to describe the impression made on each of the members of
our group, but apart from the fact that afterwards each of us realized that
he or she had undergone a unique experience, the main conclusion seems to
be that, as one of the monks we met on our way already stated, there is a
big gap between the doctrinal, metaphysical teachings laid down in the
texts and the way people, monks and laymen alike, actually experience and
express their belief.