Throughout the year, groups and sometimes single individuals, can be seen in the train stations wearing a short white coat and carrying a peculier hat. These people are going on Japans most famous pilgrimage, the Hachi-ju-hakkasho or eighty-eight temples of Shikoku island. If the coats are covered with red stamps, the men and women are returning.
As even a casual visitor to japan notices, there are a superrbundance of temples. They range from smaller than desk size ones you may notice while strolling along the streets to large and elaborate structures such as the one housing the Dai-butsu, the big Buddha at Nara.
The Hachi-ju-hakkasho, however, form a route that takes one in a circle around the entire island of Shikoku, a distance of about a thousand miles. Before cars and trains the pilgrimage took healthy people between forty and sixty days to complete on foot. Even today some people prefer to walk. However, nowadays most people take a sightseeing bus tour of the temples or use the trains. At each of the temples, the pilgrim's coat is stamped in red with the name and symbol of the temple.
The Hachi-ju-hakkasho are temples either built or restored by the Buddhist saint, Kobo Daishi, who was born on shikoku in 774 A.D. during the Nara period. His father was a minor government official but his uncle who was the teacher of the Emperor's son got him admitted to the university which, at that time, was only open to sons of people of very high rank. However, he soon left the university and became a priest.
There are two different stories about the origin of the pilgrimages. The most probable but less interesting one is that Shinsai, one of Kobo Daishi's disciples, started them. According to another story, they were started by Emon Saburo, a wealthy noble. Saburo brutally treated a beggar priest who came to his door. During the next eight days, all eigh of his children died, so Saburo set out to ask the forgiveness of the priest. He made more than twenty journeys, visiting all eighty-eight temples that became the Hachi-ju-hakkasho.
The pilgrimage starts near Awa in tokushima prefecture at Ryozen-ji. Ryo means spirit; zen, mountain; ji, temple. Here the pilgrim participates in a ceremony in which he promises to keep the Juzenkai, the ten commandments of Buddhism: 1) Not kill any living soul. 2) Not to steal. 3) Not to have any immoral sex relations. 4) Not to lie. 5) Not to boast. 6) Not to speak badly of others. 7) Not to be hypocritical. 8) Not to be greedy. 9) Not to get angry. 10) Not to think evil thoughts.
After repeating a Sutra prayer, getting one's coat stamped, the pilgrim starts out for the next temple. The different temples have different reputations for effects. Many of the pilgrims to the Hachi-ju-hakkasho go on the pilgrimage for religious reasons or to pray for the recovery of their health.
Originally those desiring to cure themselves or others of illness, or to seek religious salvation constitued the majority of the pilgrims. But there is another group who make the trip only for the enjoyment of many days of carefree life. In old-fashioned families, wives and daughters particularly, seldom have occations to see the world or enjoy themselves. These women from a party and go on pilgrimage to Shikoku. For nearly a month they are away from thier homes and household drudgery.
The travelling is not easy, but there is a certain freedom and joy in travelling. Pilgrims from all parts of the country meet on the road or at inns and become friends. The Shikoku people are kind to pilgrims, and old-fashioned folks still offer alms to them in the belief that alms giving will save their souls.