Maegami-ji, The Temple in Front of God, is temple No. 64 on the Shikoku pilgrimage, or Henro. It’s located in the foothills of Mt. Ishizuchi, the highest mountain in western Japan, which dominates the scenery of Saijō. What to see The temple itself is invisible from its entrance. All you can see is a gate…
Kichijō-ji is Temple No. 63 on the Shikoku pilgrimage, or Henro. It stands between busy Route 11 and the JR Yosan railway line, with a number of tall trees growing in its precincts, which give it a luxuriously leafy atmosphere. What to see Legend has it that when Kukai visited, he found a cypress that…
Hōju-ji is temple No. 62 on the Shikoku pilgrimage, or Henro. Its name means the Temple of Wealth and Happiness which is ironic because Hōju-ji is a poor, run-down little temple in a decaying part of Saijō, sandwiched between the JR Yosan railway line and busy Route 11. What to see The Main Hall of…
Kōon-ji is temple No. 61 on the Shikoku pilgrimage, or Henro. It stands close to the foothills of Mt. Ishizuchi in Saijō. Kōon-ji is one of five pilgrimage temples located relatively close together in Saijō. What to see From the approach, Kōon-ji looks like a conventional temple. There’s a pleasantly green area with a stand…
Yokomine-ji, The Temple on the Side of the Ridge, is temple No. 60 on the Shikoku pilgrimage, or Henro. It stands in the foothills of Mt. Ishizuchi in Saijō. In the Edo period, travel was regulated by gated checkpoints called ‘sekisho’. On the pilgrimage, there are ‘sekishodera’ in each of the provinces, and these temples…
Iyo Kokubun-ji is temple No. 59 on the Shikoku pilgrimage, or Henro. It stands on a raised platform among fields and houses on the outskirts of Imabari. What to see Between the car park and the temple is a small shop selling towels and other textiles. These are printed with maps of the pilgrimage route…
Senyū-ji, The Temple of Playing in the Mountains, is temple No. 58 on the Shikoku pilgrimage and one of the more impressively located pilgrimage temples. It stands on the side of Mt. Sakure, 312 m above sea level, which means that pilgrims who walk to it have quite a climb. The modern guardian statues in…
Eifuku-ji is temple No. 57 on the Shikoku pilgrimage or Henro. The temple is located in the countryside outside of Imabari, in a beautiful bamboo grove. What to see When you approach the temple from a distance, the first thing you’ll notice is the newly built priest’s quarters. This an adobe tower with oddly slanted…
Taisan-ji is temple No. 56 on the Shikoku pilgrimage or Henro. The temple is located in the countryside near Imabari. What to see Taisan-ji is located on sloping farmland on the outskirts of Imabari City. It stands on a platform of sloping stone walls topped with a beautiful white plastered wall. To enter the compound,…
Nankōbō, The Temple of the Southern Light, is temple No. 55 on the Shikoku pilgrimage or Henro. Located in Imabari, it has a magnificent gate facing the main road, with four fierce guardians decorated with gold leaf. What to see Nankōbō stands beside a main road through Imabari city. Its buildings are distributed around an…