30Nov08: Linsday McGaan

We met at eight thirty on a late November Sunday, the air brisk and typical for a late autumn morning in Kagawa-ken. Over winter coats and woolen hats we layered crisp white byakue (pilgrim jackets) and straw conical hats, grumbling lightheartedly about our resemblance to a pack of walking marshmallows. Lastly, we added the most markedly "pilgrim" elements to our ensemble: purple sashes and wooden tsue (walking staffs) adorned by nearly all those who embark on the pilgrimage. The staffs were hand painted in Japanese calligraphy with "we two walk together," a proxy for the first pilgrim, the great Kukai (known posthumously as Kobo-Daishi) who is said to walk alongside each traveler.

By nine o'clock we began the day's 16 kilometer journey and set out for Doryuji, Temple 77 in Tadotsu city. After nearly a year and a half living in Japan, this was my first temple visit as an o-henro-san, or pilgrim, journeying both in proper uniform and on foot. As a resident of Shikoku, I have inevitably crossed paths with many henro as they venture between the 22 temples located within Kagawa and like so many others I have stared unabashedly, attracted to their lambent apparel and often friendly dispositions. As a large group comprised mainly of foreigners, the stares and attention given to us was undoubtedly exceptional: some simply turned their heads, others waved, and a few even stopped to ask about our walk. Once at Doryuji, we were given a brief (though informative) history of the circuit and account of Kukai's life and relationship to the pilgrimage.  After taking in as much information as time would permit, we began the pilgrim's rituals: cleansing our hands at the fountain (and thus purifying ourselves), setting down our staffs in the designated box and ringing the temple bell. In ones and twos we climbed the wooden steps to face the honden, the temple's main building, to pray or silently reflect. Although I have visited temples throughout my time in Japan, this experience was altogether dissimilar. With proper direction and attire, I no longer felt uneasy in my actions. I was no longer an observant outsider, but now an active participant in the 88 Temple Pilgrimage.

 

Throughout the day we walked, hiked, climbed, ran, and occasionally danced our way to each temple, from Doryuji to Konzonji (76), Mandaraji (72) Shusshakaji (73), Koyamaji (74), and finally making our way to Zentsuji (75) where we were treated to a lecture from one of the temple monks and a visit underground to the location of Kukai's birth. Our travels spanned 16 kilometers and more than six hours. Although our mileage fell short of a typical day's walk for a Shikoku pilgrim, our cold and nagging limbs were testaments to a day of physical challenges and cultural exposure. The walk provided us not only with a foundational understanding of the pilgrim's temple experience, but also with the perspective from the pilgrim's path, a substantial component to the pilgrimage. Our travel route took us through rice paddies and broken pathways, past mountains vibrant in reds and golds, over crooked streams and hills laced with citrus groves. In our hours on foot, we experienced both the shared and solitary moments familiar to the pilgrim, and were able to acquire an appreciation for both. Walking together we shared knowledge and observations, while time alone was introspective and meditative. In only a day's travel we experienced (in many ways) a microcosm of the greater pilgrimage, providing us with an invaluable perspective on something so significant to the local culture which surrounds us.

 

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