At 8 a.m. on October 29, 2011, our group of foreign resident pilgrims departed from Kanonji City in the western part of Kagawa Prefecture. Our destination that day was Unpenji, a temple located far away from any train station or bus stop. We drove south quite some distance toward the towering mountains, and we eventually stopped to stretch our legs at Honen-ike Dam, a wonderful piece of architecture built during Japan’s Taisho period (1912-1926). The dam’s silhouette traced a marvelous line on the bright blue sky. Thinking of the dam’s history and the power of the water contained behind its stone walls, I felt both impressed and humbled.
Magnificent -
Honenike Dam
Against the Autumn Sky
We boarded our bus once more and traveled to Kyu-Manda Toge, a place where roads come to a single junction from the three prefectures of Kagawa, Tokushima, and Ehime. We put on our henro gear and began our ascent. As we walked along the Henro Path, we could see far out to the majestic mountains in the distance. Along the road bloomed many autumn flowers, in the midst of green plants and trees.
Walking the road –
Japanese pampas grass
Waving
We walked more than 6 km and finally arrived at Unpenji, the tallest of all 88 temples of the Shikoku Pilgrimage Circuit. The well-kept temple looked superb surrounded by old, tall trees beneath the clear sky. Near the Daishi-do Hall, we found a “maniguruma,” a stone wheel carved with sutras written in Sanskrit. It is said that if you spin the wheel once, it is the same as reciting the entire sutra. We each took our turn to receive the sutra’s blessing.
Autumn Peak –
Spinning the blessings
Of the Maniguruma
We took a break to eat our lunches, and then during the time remaining we walked around the temple grounds. A little way from the Main Hall, we found a rare “neshaka,” a statue of the Buddha lying in repose – some say this is the pose that most fully demonstrates the realization of nirvana. There were many other interesting sights, including an observation point and a gondola traveling up the mountain from below. However, the most memorable sight by far was that of the 500 “rakan,” stone statues of bodhisattvas with strange outfits and hairstyles, doing such things as drinking alcohol, exploding with laughter, and various other activities rather unbefitting enlightened Buddhist sages. The statues lined the road and saw us off as we made our exit.
Autumn colors -
Blushing cheeks of
Rakan sages
We quickly descended the mountain, enjoying the sunlight and the surrounding nature as we went. We pondered Kukai, the Buddhist monk who inspired the 88 temple pilgrimage, his legacy that perseveres to this day, and the very deep meaning behind the pilgrimage circuit. We arrived to the place where our return bus was waiting, folded our pilgrim vests, and returned our walking sticks and sedge hats to their places. Thus, our day’s pilgrimage adventure came to a close.
