10 Books on the Shikoku Pilgrimage [Top Ten Tuesday]

Preamble

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday is Freebie. Time to bust out a topic I’ve had in my drafts since 2020! That topic is the Shikoku Henro (四国遍路), or Shikoku Pilgrimage. The pilgrimage consists of 88 temples on the Japanese island of Shikoku which are associated with Buddhist monk Kōbō Daishi, the founder of Shingon Buddhism in Japan. From Aug 2014 to Aug 2015, I lived in Shikoku. I completed the pilgrimage in different parts throughout my time there, visiting about half of the temples in a roadtrip during my final two weeks in the country. I have 10 books related to the pilgrimage on my Goodreads shelf.

Read

1. A Journey of the Soul: The Shikoku Pilgrimage and its 88 Temples by Tatsuro Muro and David C. Moreton
   • A guide to each of the temples that serves to fill a gap in existing English resources. Rather than provide advice on what to do at the temples and how to carry out the pilgrimage, it describes the history and development of each temple and includes numerous historical photographs.
2. Sacred Kōyasan: A Pilgrimage to the Mountain Temple of Saint Kobo Daishi and the Great Sun Buddha by Philip L. Nicoloff (2007)
   • “The first book-length study in English of this holy Buddhist mountain, Philip L. Nicoloff invites readers to accompany him on a pilgrimage. Together with the author, the pilgrim-reader ascends the mountain, stays at a temple monastery, and explores Kōyasan’s main buildings, sacred statues, and famous forest cemetery. Author and reader participate in the full annual cycle of rituals and ceremonies, and explore the life and legend of Kōbō Daishi and the history of the mountain.”
   • I read this book leading up to my visit to Kōyasan. It really helped enrich my visit and allowed me to make my most of my few days there.
   • These first two books were extremely helpful in providing historical background, cultural context, and advice on religious traditions.
3. The 1918 Shikoku Pilgrimage of Takamure Itsue: An English Translation of Musume Junreiki by Itsue Takamure, trans. Susan Tennant (1918/2010)
   • Here is a title that resonated unexpectedly with me and felt like a fresh, modern read! Itsue was only 24 when she undertook the pilgrimage. Best enjoyed if you already have some knowledge about what the Shikoku Henro entails. Learn more in my review.
4. The Way of the 88 Temples: Journeys on the Shikoku Pilgrimage by Robert C. Sibley (2013)
   • The only contemporary account I have read myself of a foreigner completing the pilgrimage. I appreciated how this book captured the natural and spiritual aspects of Japan that are particular to Shikoku. Learn more in my review.
5. Japanese Pilgrimage by Oliver Statler (1984)
   • I don’t recall much of this book now, beyond how I acquired it. When I came across this book, I thought “What are the chances??” I found it on the shelves of one of my WWOOF hosts in New Zealand! When she learned of my connection to the pilgrimage, she gifted it to me.

To Be Read

1. A Critical Analysis of the buddhist 88-Temple Pilgrimage on Shikoku Island, Japan by Ryofu Pussel (2010)
   • “This book analyzes the 88-temple pilgrimage on Shikoku Island, Japan, regarding its religious, historical, and sociological aspects. It looks at when and by whom the pilgrimage was established, how it developed over time, why there are 88 temples included, and by whom, why and when the classification into four steps of spiritual development was established. Illness is a major aspect, and the connection of the pilgrimage and death is evaluated. The social value and importance that the pilgrimage has, and how much it is interwoven with the daily life in the past and present, is analyzed, as are the origin and meaning of various pilgrimage items, pilgrims’ behavior, how many people are actually doing the pilgrimage, where they come from, their age, by what means they travel, and for what reasons they do the pilgrimage.”
2. Shingon: Japanese Esoteric Buddhism by Taiko Yamamsaki (1988)
   • “This book traces the history of the school from its mysterious origins in India and describes the remarkable men who brought the teachings to China and Japan in the eighth and ninth centuries, who translated the texts, and who carried the initiatic chain of teaching. It discusses the Metaphysical doctrines of Shingon, its founding scriptures, and its views on levels of consciousness and stages of samadhi. And it covers the whole range of Shingon meditations and exercises—such as mudras, incantations, and visualizations of deities and symbolic forms—hitherto virtually unknown in the west.”
3. Making Pilgrimages: Meaning and Practice in Shikoku by Ian Reader (2005)
   • “This rich ethnographic work covers a wide range of pilgrimage activity and behavior, drawing on accounts of pilgrims traveling by traditional means on foot as well as those taking advantage of the new package bus tours, and exploring the pilgrimage’s role in the everyday lives of participants and the people of Shikoku alike. It discusses the various ways in which the pilgrimage is made and the forces that have shaped it in the past and in the present, including history and legend, the island’s landscape and residents, the narratives and actions of the pilgrims and the priests who run the temples, regional authorities, and commercial tour operators and bus companies.”
4. Two on a Pilgrimage by Alfred Bohner (1931)
   • “In the summer of 1927, Alfred Bohner embarked on the 1,200 kilometer pilgrimage around the island of Shikoku. Four years later, he published this comprehensive and informative book, which includes a description the history of the pilgrimage, the temples and various aspects related to the pilgrim and the pilgrimage. Alfred also includes various personal episodes from his journey. This is the first book by a Westerner on this increasingly popular pilgrimage route.”
5. Pilgrimages and Spiritual Quests in Japan edited by María Dolores Rodríguez del Alisal and Dolores Martínez (2006)
   • “…a detailed examination of pilgrimages in Japan, including the meanings of travel, transformation, and the discovery of identity through encounters with the sacred, in a variety of interesting dimensions in both historical and contemporary Japanese culture, linked by the unifying theme of a spiritual quest.”

Honourable mention: The Shikoku Japan 88 Route Guide is essential for anyone planning to undertake the pilgrimage. I frequently referred to my copy during my travels, as an aide to walking routes, Buddhist practices, and accommodation.

---

What travel or spirituality topics do you like to read about?
Link your TTT posts in the comments!