I went around to all the "Shikoku 88
temples" during the three years from
1989 to 1992,While I lived in Kochi city.It
takes about 50 days on foot and 10 days by
car.The distance is 1,360km in all.The histories
of these temples are long,covering some 1,000years.The
original purpose for the trail is for pilgrimage
after ascetic exercises of Koubodaishi,Kukai
A pilgrimage has a white kimono and a stick
even today, and goes for the pilgrimage's
trip.White clothes are costume in the death
in the old days.A stick had the resolution
of the vote death, and did a pilgrimage's
trip as much as to say that it did instead
of the tombstone.But, won't it be at present
as it goes to visit temple for study as a
part of the sightseeing?It is as much as
the first visit to the shrine, the ceremonial
occasionses to go to the temple, too.But,
when the trip of visiting a temple is being
done, it falls into such a sense that it
is still held and which it has as for the
temple 【 the climate of the land 】.It seem
to old Japanese space as it is. It has a
mind even with the trip of visiting such
space.When it is the trip of staring at oneself
again, there is a certain person 【 it is
good 】.Oneself re-discovery, the trip of
the self-regeneration are said, too.There
is history in 1000 and more in the trip of
visiting a temple.It can think of me recently
by this trip when it is the trip of discovering
the thing which is washed away in the undercurrent
of the Japanese culture and which it is.Do
you pull it, and are you connected with the
own discovery?Before, it was introduced,
and it ever listened when there was not only
a sutra toward dead person ・ Buddha but
also sutra to live when it worshiped at Koyasan. A
temple is probably to meet the heart of the
person who comes as it is.Joining palms in
prayer.
I recommend this.It was available for understand
japaness climate and custum.Even me of japaness
noticed after round the "Shikoku 88
temples"