Nshikoku pilgrimage stamp book

Upon arriving at each temple they carry out a prayer ritual and collect a stamp in a special book nokyocho while most modernday pilgrims travel by tour bus, a small minority still set out the oldfashioned way on foot, a journey which takes about six. The stamps are around y 250300 each and the pilgrim outfit robe, hat is another y 10,000. First of all, it is important to keep in mind that all temple offices along the shikoku pilgrimage route are open from 7am to 5pm, every day of the year. The japanese temple stamp book, go shuin chou japan. These temple seals are collected in small stamp books. Sep 24, 2014 shikoku pilgrimage is celebrating its 1,200th anniversary this year. The pilgrimage used to be popular among middleaged or older people only. I will be spending the months of august and september 2015 walking the 1,200 km pilgrimage route around the japanese island of shikoku. Jan 01, 20 love japan, love shikoku, want to visit the 88 temples, but this travelogue for that it what it is was a dull type.

Consisting of eighty eight temples and numerous other sacred sites the pilgrimage roughly rings the perimeter of shikoku island. The saigoku kannon pilgrimage, saigoku sanjusansho is a pilgrimage of thirtythree buddhist temples throughout the kansai region of japan, similar to the shikoku pilgrimage. The japanese temple redstamp notebook is a small book that you can bring to the thousands of shrines and temples around japan. About an hours drive south of tokushima train station in the village of aratano is temple no. A pilgrimage trail to 88 temples in shikoku, japan mlit. Was there the movement of clouds above while the light of heaven shone down upon my upward beaming and unshaven face. Other implements for pilgrimage a talisman album omieire, name slips osamefuda, a book of sutras kyohon, buddhist prayer beads, incense sticks, candles, a lighter, and the like are. The japanese temple red stamp notebook is a small book that you can bring to the thousands of shrines and temples around japan. What to do at the temples pilgrimage on shikoku island. Shikoku pilgrimage faq below are questions ive been frequently asked about the shikoku pilgrimage and my answers. In addition, most pilgrims carry a book called nokyocho or shuincho, to collect red ink stamp shuin by each temple you visit. It is also truly unique, as every stamp is handwritten and even friends who do the journey together will have unique books. Gosyuin is the stamp, which shows the proof of worship at each of the temples.

Japanese 88 temple shikoku pilgrimage ceremonial stole wagesa purple. The episode on the shikoku pilgrimage, which features the group from the 20 mountain hiking holidays shikoku pilgrimage trek, aired on december 16, 2014 on most pbs stations in the u. Journeys on the shikoku pilgrimage is a fascinating and moving account of the authors pilgrimage on the japanese island of shikoku. A shuin is a seal stamp given to worshippers and visitors to shinto shrines and buddhist temples in japan. But gradually, the number of young pilgrims has increased. In addition to the official thirtythree temples, there are an additional three known as bangai. Leading up to the main temple gate, you see another reason ishiteji is a great place to sample the pilgrimage.

The smell of earth and spring blooms may be on your road. Jinta pilgrims passport book with affixed red seals of the names of sacred places the temples through the pilgrimage to the 88site shikoku circuit, attached with its gofu paper talismans as well. At 37 yearsold amy chavez is suddenly let go from her university job, and is left wondering what to do next. The red stamp behind this centerpiece is the stamp varies from temple to temple. The shikoku pilgrimage is a circular shaped pilgrimage on the island of shikoku in japan. You have the choice of a book, stamping your hakui, or getting a scroll stamped difficult to carry if youre a walking henro, obviously.

James in spain and the mecca pilgrimage in saudi arabia. Japanese 88 temple shikoku pilgrimage book of stamps nokyocho small. The pilgrimage starts from tokushima, goes around the whole shikoku island along the coast and then eventually returns back to the starting place. Others try to get the book full while doing one of the famous pilgrimages. Japanese signs and their translations pilgrim accommodation list of the 88 temples in english and japanese glossary getting to shikoku and sim card phone rental. Aside from the regular stamp book, a 2020 exclusive kobo daishi pilgrimage stamp book will be issued. Its literal translation is the honorable redstamp notebook. Autumn colours exploding across valleys in oranges and reds may bear witness to. His book is entitled, fighting monks and burning mountains, and if you are thinking of coming to shikoku to experience the pilgrimage yourself i very much recommend this book. Japan 88temple shikoku pilgrimage white robe uniform byakue no sleeve xxl. The first such book is attributed to a priest named yuben shinnen d. The pilgrimage itself is over 1,400 kilometres in length, and has an image amongst the public of being harsh and difficult to complete. Of course, japanese people do not keep those book as a souvenir.

All of these items can be purchased in a formal sense at mount koya or at ryozenji, the first temple. I watched other visitors and the procedure seemed to be to throw some coins in the donation box, ring the bell twice and pray. The japan temple stamp book kawasaki, kanagawa japan. I started my collection at the worldrenowned kinkakuji temple or golden pavillion where i purchased a beautifully hand crafted nokyocho.

Shikoku pilgrimage is celebrating its 1,200th anniversary this year. Its literal translation is the honorable red stamp notebook. The japanese temple stamp book, go shuin chou japan travel cafe. It is often the way with americans they visit somewhere and show it to be otherworldly and how they grew or found themselves, this is in that vein. If theres something youd like to know which hasnt already been answered, please leave a comment at the bottom of the page. At each temple, a pilgrim receives a stamp nokyo in the form of calligraphy art handwritten in a stamp book nokyocho, along with 2 stamps on the sides. You then walk down to okunoin, kobodaishis grave, on the other side of koyasan. The first thing to do is to go to kongobuji, the main temple. The japanese temple stamp book goshuinchou the japanese temple book is one of the best kept secrets in japan. Still one of my favourites, and definitely the one that took the most effort to prepare. Note that the 2f stamp can be readily found in two shade, yellow green and light green.

This book contains a stamp from each of the temples that i visited. If you stop at the main gate, the daishi hall daishido is in front of you on your left, the temple office and other buildings are on your right, and the main hall hondo. I walked the shikoku pilgrimage in the summer of 2015 and began this project shortly afterwards. This practice originated from a policy called tochi kinbaku. In each temple in koyasan and on the pilgrim route, a monk or a nun will stamp it and write beautiful calligraphy for a fee of 300 yen, as proof of your visit. Spanning one to two months, 38 townsvillages and four prefectures, the pilgrimage will give travellers a comprehensive and stunning insight into a notsocosmopolitan part of japan. It has the temples name and the date of visit hand written in ink then a red stamp is placed on top of it. The goshuin, as its called, is a notebook used to collect unique hand drawn calligraphy and stamps from temples and shrines all across japan. Page one in most nokyo books is set aside for that stamp so dont forget to get it before leaving for shikoku. History of the shikoku pilgrimage shikoku pilgrimage j. The shikoku pilgrimage a tradition of charitable giving. Temple etiquette for pilgrims shikoku pilgrimage jpilgrim.

The 88 temple pilgrimage is a 1,200kilometre route around the perimeter of shikoku island. Japan goshuin stamps 88 temples shikoku pilgrimage kimono white vest. Feb 25, 20 japanese pilgrimage stamp books with inscriptions. Foreigners have been interested in the henro for a very long time. At the stamp area, receive a stamp goshuin on your stamp book to show that you have visited the location. Other implements for pilgrimage a talisman album omieire, name slips osamefuda, a book of sutras kyohon, buddhist prayer beads, incense sticks, candles, a lighter, and the like are necessary for formal visit to temples. Kobo daishi pilgrimage stamp book aside from the regular stamp book, a 2020 exclusive kobo daishi pilgrimage stamp book will be issued. It is said to take up to 3 months to complete the 1200km.

Shikoku pilgrims knowns as henro, undertake the journey around shikoku island to atone for sins, to pray for health and success, in pursuit of enlightment, and to experience the mysteries of japans least developed island. It was established by disciples of the buddhist monk kukai, who trained at several sacred places in shikoku, and many believe this route follows his footsteps. Japanese stampsinscriptions shuin when on pilgrimage. Among the famous ones is the shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage, but also the kumano kodo.

Since goshuin are your prove of visiting a temple, the stamp book only belongs to you and is not allowed to be shared or to be given as a gift to someone back home. Calligraphy and stamps from the shikoku 88temple pilgrimage. If there are other locations to pay homage to within the temple, ensure you go there first. It is a buddhist pilgrimage to visit 88 temples associated with the great priest kukai 774835 known as kobo daishi. We purchased a stamp book and name slips to fill out and drop at the various temples as. Start here for the shikoku pilgrimage updated march 2019. The japan temple stamp book kawasaki, kanagawa japan travel. Japanese 88 temple shikoku pilgrimage book of stamps nokyocho.

If you have questions or suggestions for things that need to be added, let me know. Like ryozenji, ishiteji sells stamp books and other necessities for pilgrims. Established by kukai, the founder of shingon buddhism, in the. Of those items used specially on a pilgrimage, the staff kongozue is the most important. Koya, on your right, just before the third and final foot bridge as you approach the okunoin. Along the way you go from temple to temple, getting a stamp from each for your travel book which will serve as your memento. With a name like that, it actually makes stamp collecting sound awesome. Since the shikoku pilgrimage is a circular route, you can begin anywhere. At 1200 years and 1200 kilometers, the shikoku pilgrimage is one of the worlds oldest and longest spiritual pilgrimages. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. It began with me wanting to compile the various budget camping lists in english and japanese for walking henro.

I returned to ishiyamadera in september 2001, bought a nokyocho pilgrims book from the temple office and so officially started the saigoku pilgrimage. Shikoku 88 temples foot pilgrimage temple 111 tali. How to visit temples reception of a red ink stamp with wonderful brushwork as a memory of visit at temple no. Japan goshuin stamps 88 temples shikoku pilgrimage kimono white vest cotton vtg. On the upper part is written earth, water, fire, wind, voidsky in sanskrit lettering. Pilgrims are known as ohenrosan and traditionally wear a sedge hat, white shirt and carry a wooden staff. Bamboo forest trails and mossy stones are on this path. Jul 16, 2016 according to the tibetan calendar, the buddhas day of birth, enlightenment, and passing occurred on june 17 this year. The pilgrim pays the custodian at each temple or shrine to stampinscribe their book as proof of. Jirei bell usually worn on your belt or attached to the top of your walking stick.

At the end of the day we will drive back to our hotel in tokushima. Pilgrimage stamp books shuincho, or nokyocho pilgrims usually carry a stamp book, which they typically purchase at the first temple or shrine along the circuit. To mark the occasion, the devout trek up to the highest temple on earth, the rongbuk monastery, at the northern basecamp of mount everest, called mount qomolangma, and to the people have worshipped it for centuries. Shikoku is host to the famous 88 temple pilgrimage. Calligraphy and stamps from the shikoku 88temple pilgrimage november 10, 20 hidden japan p ilgrims who follow in the footsteps of kobo daishi around shikoku record their journey by collecting these goshuin, single sheets of paper, or in book form nokyocho, from each of the temples along the way. Rivaling these is a pilgrimage in our very backyard. Hakui, or oizuru white henro jacket the price is higher if you want one with any writing on it. This believe it or not was the first article i ever wrote about japan. Paul barach had his adventurous pilgrimage around shikoku back in 2010. Aug 09, 2009 the temple monks will stamp each page with three different imprints in red ink, and proceed to unleash a powerful array of brushstrokes to complete the picture. A popular and distinctive feature of the islands cultural landscape, and with a long history, large numbers of pilgrims, known as henro, still undertake the journey for a.

If you collect stamps from all 88 temples, you can. We started our pilgrimage with a visit to the mountains of koyasan, the heart of esoteric shingon buddhism. The pilgrim pays the custodian at each temple or shrine to stampinscribe their book as proof of their visit. For those on the shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage, some still use white robes, which they have stamped and signed along the way, in place of. The shikoku japan 88 route guide is the indispensable companion for all walking henro. Guide to japanese pilgrims, pilgrimages, holy mountains. A great book with historical information on the 88 main temples on the pilgrimage. The shikoku pilgrimage and its 88 temples, by tatsuo muro and david moreton.

This trip is a natural complement to the original shikoku temple trek 1 which we are also offering in marchapril of 2019. The seal stamps are often collected in books called shuincho that. Shikoku pilgrim 101 in this section of your pilgrimage in japan we will try to give you information for frequently asked questions, as well as more information about how to be a pilgrim. Page one in most nokyo books is set aside for that stamp so dont forget to. Be sure to watch the shikoku pilgrimage episode of the sixpart pbs documentary series, sacred journeys. It should be noted that many pilgrims who begin the pilgrimage on foot do not finish it. The nokyosho, or stamp book office, where you get you nokyo book stamped. The pilgrimage dates way back to the time of famous buddhist monk kukai who lived from 774 to 835. The saigoku kannon pilgrimage saikoku sanjusansho junrei covers 33 temples dedicated to kannon in western japan and is the most famous of japanese pilgrimages. Kannon sometimes kanzeon or kwannon is the japanese name for the bodhisattva avalokitasvara, or bodhisattva of compassion, one of whose 33 manifestations the only female one corresponds to the. Spiritual trekthe sacred sites along the shikoku pilgrimage jnto.

By megan kitt dec 1, 2015 4 min read it was at simultaneously the most solitary and the most companionate trip of my life. Some temples only give stamps, while at others, a temple priest will handdraw the temples signature in the pilgrims book these handwritten inscriptions are often very. The set consisted of 4 stamps, 2f and 8f featuring the imperial crest of manchukuo. There are 88 official sacred temples and numerous other sacred sites where kukai known as kobo daishi is believed to have trained during the 9th century. Thinking about walking the shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage. Besides getting a stamp in your book at each of the 88 main temples, there is also a stamp office on mt. Written by volunteers and periodically updated, the book contains a short introduction to the shikoku pilgrimage and detailed maps of the entire route along with a wealth of useful information to help you navigate the island and find places to eat, sleep and much more. People who do the shikoku pilgrimage can also get shuin on the white robes they sometimes wear. Spiritual trekthe sacred sites along the shikoku pilgrimage. The total pilgrimage is about 1,200 km and takes about 3050 days, depending on your condition and how much you use public transport bustrain during the trip. It leads one to wonder whether the reason that the book comes across as skimmedover, rushed, and ultimately unremarkable is due to the fact that chavez ran the pilgrimage rather than walked it. The bag is for holding and carrying a stamp book noukyoucho for collecting red ink stamps shuin at respective temples, valuables, and other belongings. The shikoku ohenro pilgrimage at 1200 years and 1200 kilometers, the shikoku pilgrimage is one of the worlds oldest and longest spiritual pilgrimages.

If you collect stamps from all 88 temples, you can have them bound as a stamp book that uses speciallydesigned ornate paper. Very much like miyatasans book above, it has one page on each of the temples with a short history and what to find there. The shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage tour from samurai tours. Records seem to indicate that he spent his life wandering the island of shikoku, walking the pilgrimage, and aiding other henro by setting up sign posts and building henro. Oliver statlers japanese pilgrimage is an account of his pilgrimages on shikoku, an island in japan famous for its 88 temple pilgrimage route. Shikoku pilgrimage hiking tour part 2 mountain hiking. Upon arriving at each temple they carry out a prayer ritual and collect a stamp in a special book nokyocho. All the temples on the pilgrimage will stamp your book. This circular pilgrimage route is the most famous pilgrimage in japan. For instance, in 1931, alfred bohner, a german, wrote a book about the henro titled two on a pilgrimage. The henro michi, the traditional pilgrims route, is nearly 900 miles long and includes 88 buddhist temples associated with kobo daishi, the 9th century founder of. Jul 01, 2012 running the shikoku pilgrimage is an account of a solo womans journey running japans 900mile buddhist pilgrimage, a distance equal to running from san diego, california to oregon. On july 1, it struck me that i was in the south of japan, in kochi, 365 days ago.

Gosyuin receive the temple stamps in your nokyocho stamp book after worshiping at the temple, go to the nokyooffice to get gosyuin. To enter all but a few of the temple compounds you must pass through a gate. A popular and distinctive feature of the islands cultural landscape, and with a long history, large numbers of pilgrims, known. If you need more information about walking the camino or to book your camino. The shikoku temple trek 2 is the second of three trips we offer that are based on the twelvehundredkilometerlong shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage shikoku hachijuhachikasho meguri. I wrote about the 1200km i walked to complete the shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage.

Dec 01, 2015 japans famous henro pilgrimage trail stretches over about 1,200 kilometers, tracing the circumference of the southern island of shikoku. In koyasan we stayed for two nights at yochiin temple, called a shukubo temple. Jan 19, 20 this book is called running the shikoku pilgrimage and thats presumably what people want to read about when they buy the book. Throughout my travels in asia, one of the most treasured experiences for me is acquiring temple seals in japan which are called goshuin in japanese language. Manchukuo and manchurian stamps 1936 postal agreement. Statler is especially good in giving the history of the pilgrimage, describing some of the specific temples in detail, and making sense of the struggles and accommodations japan has made between the shinto and buddhist religions. My noukyouchou temple stamp book was complete, i performed my final sutras for this trip and i was done. Was there a moment of satori buddhist enlightenment. In koyasan we stayed for two nights at yochiin temple, called a shukubo temple, because it accepts guests for overnight stays. Shikoku 88 temples foot pilgrimage temple 111 tali landsman. Experience shikoku, a holy land japan monthly web magazine.

The shikoku pilgrimage is a pilgrimage of 88 temples associated with the buddhist saint kukai. It is believed this is the embodiment of kukai, and so he is always with you to protect you on your pilgrimage. You come to a shopping street with stalls selling traditional wares. Japanese 88 temple shikoku pilgrimage book of stamps. Its been a year since i began the shikoku pilgrimage across the islands 88 buddhist temples. There are many famous religious pilgrimages in the world, such as the way of st.