Shikoku Pilgrimage

The henro is a loop of about 1,200 kilometres around Shikoku linking eighty-eight temples associated with Kukai, who was born on the island in 774. Walking it takes roughly forty to fifty days; most people now go by car or bus and take one to two weeks, or do it in sections over years. Pilgrims wear a white jacket, a conical straw hat and carry a staff understood to embody Kukai himself, which is why it is stood upright and washed before the pilgrim at an inn. Temples are numbered but the order is not compulsory and the circuit can be walked backwards, which is held to be harder and more meritorious. The custom of settai - locals giving pilgrims food, drink or a bed unasked, as a way of joining the pilgrimage - is still alive and is not to be refused or paid for. The route runs through cities, coast, farmland and several hard mountain sections.

What you actually see

• Eighty-eight temples - a 1,200-kilometre loop around a whole island.
• The pilgrim's kit - white jacket, straw hat and a staff treated as Kukai himself.
• Settai - unasked gifts from local people, which are accepted and not paid for.
• Every landscape on Shikoku - city, coast, farmland and hard mountain climbs.

When to go

March to May and October to November. Six weeks walking, or one to two weeks by vehicle.

Honest expectations

Walking it is physically hard and several temple approaches involve long mountain climbs. Summer heat and typhoons make July to September unwise. Accommodation on some sections is sparse and needs planning. Temple stamp books and offerings add up over eighty-eight stops.

Nearby

Temple one is near Tokushima; the route reaches all four Shikoku prefectures.