The Henro of Shikoku
The island of Shikoku in Japan is home to the daunting but do-able 88 Temple Pilgrimage. As anyone who has seen it can attest, Shikoku is full of powerful landscapes. Impressive, steep, cedar-blanketed mountain ranges running east to west bisect the island. Mount Ishizuchi presides, standing at an elevation of 6,500 feet.
Among the oldest pilgrimages in the world, the 88 Temple Pilgrimage threads its way through all four prefectures (like U.S. states) of Shikoku. It mostly traverses the coastline, veering occasionally into the interior regions.“The pilgrimage route is diverse,” says one source. “It winds through quiet picturesque villages, along striking coastlines, across bustling modern cities, and up ancient misty mountains.”.
A table model at the Henro Museum shows the extreme terrain on Shikoku
In May, I walked across some of that challenging terrain. One afternoon, our group arrived at a flat area along the steep trail and stopped to wait for the rest of our party. Suddenly, a solitary man came down from the other direction carrying a large backpack and guitar case. He was dressed in the attire of a pilgrim.
Pilgrimage signs feature the “henro look”
“Will you play us something?” I asked, and to our collective surprise, he cheerfully put down his load and reached for his guitar and harmonica harness. There, in the shade of high trees on a hot day in Japan. this pilgrim from Taiwan gave us a haunting rendition of Lennon & McCartney’s “Let It Be.”
Pilgrims on Shikoku are known as “henro.” Venerated for centuries, some receive the even more honorific title of “o-henro-san.” Many walk the route or ride a bicycle. For those who undertake to walk the entire 745 miles (1,200 km), it takes an average of 45 days to complete the pilgrimage. Others go in vehicles from temple to temple, as our group did. To my way of seeing it, the gold standard lies with those who complete the entire circle and visit all 88 temples, especially if they go on foot.
During our 10 days on the route, it was always special to encounter henro. Pilgrims are easily recognizable by their traditional attire and gear. This includes:
A conical sedge hat (“sugegasa”)
A white vest (“hakui”). Typically worn over white trousers, the white clothing is said to represent purity and innocence—but once it also represented a death shroud to symbolize that the pilgrim was prepared to die at any time.
A distinctive bag, typically white (“zudabukuro”) for carrying things for use at the temples such as candles, incense, nameslips, and the pilgrimage book.
Walking staff (“kongōzue “). The staff is said to be the embodiment of Kukai (also known as Kōbō Daishi), the Buddhist man in honor of whom the pilgrimage was created. The walking staff is also handy for protection against snakes, pushing vegetation back on overgrown paths, and going up and down the steep paths. In former times, the staff was also used as a grave marker for pilgrims who died along the way. [Source: shikoku-tourism.com/en/shikoku-henro/shikoku-henro]
Etiquette includes keeping to the left on steps.
Henro also typically carry a rosary (“juzu”), a bell (“jirei” to be rung after reciting each sutra at the temples), and nameslips (“osamefuda”). Nameslips with the pilgrim’s wishes (and name, address, and date) go into boxes at both a temple’s Main hall and Daishi hall, or to anyone offering gifts of money or food. Many people, including several in our group, carry a pilgrimage book (“nōkyōchō”). An enviable memento, the book is signed and stamped, proof of visiting each temple. The signing ritual, usually by a temple monk, includes not only three beautiful stamps on the page for that temple but also stunning lines of calligraphy as well.
Photo credit: www.henro.org/shikoku-pilgrimage
When walking the route (or skipping ahead in our convenient mini-bus), I often pondered those who pursue this goal. Their purposes range from devout religion, to a desire to complete a challenge, to self-examination, to honor someone, or simply just to see it. Nowadays, about 150,000 people embark annually on the 88 Temple Pilgrimage. We learned that some have done the complete pilgrimage dozens (and in some cases hundreds) of times. Others finish, not in one effort, but by chipping away at the miles as they are able.
A pilgrim having the monk sign his temple book
Trails were challenging, but generally well-kept.
Sometimes, my imagination turned to those who walked this pilgrimage in the 1200s, or even after the first guidebooks appeared in the 17th century. There were no real roads, no tunnels, no bridges. Waysigns would have been scant or missing. There were no convenience stores to grab a quick snack or beverage. Pilgrims ages ago relied on the goodwill of the people they encountered for food, shelter, and sustenance. The 88-Temple Pilgrimage in earlier times was certainly a different beast!
On our final day, we entered the Ohenro Museum not far from temple 88. Near the door, several people were chatting and we could tell two of them were pilgrims; they had that “look” about them. One, a young man named Jon, delightfully shared with us that he had just finished the pilgrimage. As it turned out, he was from...Duluth, Minnesota!
The Henro Museum was worth visiting!
In the end, our group walked a respectable 62 miles and visited 27 temples. I’ll own the idea that our experience counts for something. But did that make us “real” pilgrims? I can’t say I didn’t observe with a beat of envy those dressed for the part who were on their way, beginning to end. What would that be like, to set that goal, meet that challenge? Then again, as my guidebook says, “What is most important is not reaching the goal, but the journey itself.” Indeed.
Sources:
The Shikoku Pilgrimage: https://www.henro.org/shikoku-pilgrimage
About henro: https://shikoku-tourism.com/en/shikoku-henro/shikoku-henro
Some photos were taken from https://shikoku-tourism.com/en/shikoku-henro/shikoku-henro
NOTE: If walking in Japan intrigues you, I can heartily recommend Walk Japan. They have lots of routes! For more information, go to https://walkjapan.com.
