The Shikoku 88 Pilgrimage connects 88 temples over 750 miles on Japan’s Shikoku Island.
It’s a circuit: temples 1 and 88 are 17 miles apart. It’s a journey: I’ve watched pilgrims making quite perfunctory stops at temples.
This speaks to me. I walk to walk, not just to visit a sight like a waterfall or a great view. I’m happy to finish where I physically started.
This month I found myself in two sections of the pilgrimage defined by temples 13 to 17 near Tokushima, and temples 49 to 53 near Matsuyama.
From high up at Matsuyama Castle, I noticed the sea in the distance, and decided to take a train to the sea. When I arrived at the sea, waypoints for two Shikoku 88 temples popped up on my GPS. Over two days I visited temples 49 through 53.
On the other side of Shikoku, in the city of Tokushima, waypoints on my GPS pointed at nearby Shikoku 88 temples.
When you enter the grounds of a Japanese temple, there’s always a temizuya (purification station) for ritualistic cleansing of hands, and, symbolically, mind and spirit.
In 2013 and 2014 I posted pictures of plumbing fixtures in temples on this pilgrimage. Below, are examples of the plumbing in the temples I visited this year.
Temple 13 (of 88): Dainichiji
Temple 14: Jōrakuji
Jōrakuji had several temizuya, including the example at the top of this post.
The tubing is plastic rather than bamboo.
Temple 15: Awa Kokubunji
Temple 16: Kannonji
Temple 17: Idoji
Temple 49: Jōdoji
Temple 50: Hantaji
Temple 51: Ishiteji
Temple 52: Taizanji
Temple 53: Enmyōji
nice post
Thank you.
I think that these temple plumbing 2016 collection is really awesome. I hope if people install these plumbing on temple when temples will be looking amazing.
There's always a temizuya (purification station) for ritualistic cleansing of hands, and, symbolically, mind and spirit.royalplbg.com
Wow! This is awesome. This temple plumbing looks amazing. Thanks for sharing this one.