The Dojo of Nirvana: Reaching the Final 23 Sacred Temples of Kagawa.
Kagawa Prefecture, traditionally known as “Sanuki-no-Kuni,” marks the final stage and the completion of the 1,200 km journey. This category chronicles the path from Temple No. 66 (Unpen-ji), the highest temple on the trail, to the ultimate destination, Temple No. 88 (Ookubo-ji).
Here, the physical struggles of the previous prefectures transform into a profound sense of accomplishment and peace. These entries capture the final steps across the Sanuki Plains, the rewarding views from the mountain peaks, and the emotional moment of reaching “Kechigan” (completion of the vow). Follow these final logs to witness the conclusion of an epic spiritual adventure.
After leaving Sankaku-ji, I walked for a while and noticed from a road sign that I had entered Tokushima (from Ehime), although I would have to visit sacred temples in Kagawa. No.66 Unpen-ji is not only the highest of the 88 temples, but it is also a sacred temple in Sanuki (Kagawa prefecture) despite being …
This is a resting place for pilgrims, which seems to be built from the encounter with a plasterer, who wondered if he could teach his skills to young plasterers. I could see the magnificent dragons and cranes painted with trowel. Daiko-ji Temple welcomes pilgrims with magnificent Nio-statues at its main gate. Thinking about the main …
The information on the main gate clearly states that there are two temples in one precincts. At first I thought there were just two temples nearby, but it was like this as the owner of guest house Aozora-ya said. I was greeted by the Nio-statue with large eyes and a rather cute expression 😉 As …
Continue reading “Day 30: No.68 Jinne-in & No.69 Kanon-ji (神恵院、観音寺)”
The first thing that struck me as I approached the temple was this construction site of the five-story pagoda. Oh… this is a pity. The main gate, designated as an important cultural property, has a nice atmosphere, but the signboard has been renewed, and it’s also bit pity that they wrote “The main gate, Important …
I was surprised to see so many ponds along the route from Daiko-ji to Iyadani-ji (Indeed, Kagawa is famous for it). Unfortunately, on the way to Iyadani-ji, it started raining so hard that I could hardly take any picture. As I approached Iyadani-ji, the first thing I saw on the road was the 8-chome Daishi-do, …
Despite the rather small main gate, the precincts were quite spacious. The hanging plum trees were blooming nicely. The old guides of the sacred temples of Shikoku mention the existence of the “Furo-no-matsu (Ageless pine tree)”, a pine tree planted by Kobo-Daishi that is over 1,200 years old. It is less than 4 meters high …
A little further up from Mandala-ji, there is Shusshaka-ji. This temple is also small, and interestingly, the main temple and Taishi-do are attached to each other. The inner temple, Shashin-ga-dake-zenjyo, looks actually interesting, but it requires more than 50 minutes climbing, so I gave up this time and worship from here. When Kobo-Daishi was seven …
This small main gate appeared rather suddenly, while I was walking through a relaxing countryside landscape. I just wondered if this was for No.74 Kouyama-ji. The precincts of the temple is small enough to have the main temple, Taishi-do, and a hall dedicated to Bishamonten. Although the temple was simple, the precincts was well maintained, …
On the way from Koyama-ji to Zentsu-ji, I found an udon-noodle making factory called Miyagawa Seimen-sho. Kagawa is famous for udon-noodle, and there’re many really good small udon restaurants (they made their own noodle). I didn’t go in because it was still early in the morning (and I had a breakfast already), but a restaurant …
The precincts of Konzo-ji are quite large, and the first thing I saw was a number of large camphor trees. In front of the main temple, which has quite wide roof, there is something sparkling. As I approached, it turned out to be Daikokuten (a god of wealth) covered with gold leaf. At Konzo-ji, there …
In the precincts of Doryu-ji, there are many Kannon statues lined up in a row. They call them “One Hundred Kannon” of Japan. Here, there was a bronze statue of Emon Saburo asking for devotion to Kobo-Daishi, which I saw with great interest because I had read his story in the booklet I received at …
As I entered Marugame City, I saw some nostalgic place names such as Utatsu and Sakaide, where I had probably been here when I was child. By the time I reached Gosho-ji, I thought I’d have some udon as a snack, but I didn’t find any. However, I found old rice cake shop that sold …