[sandgraham]

When I was 18 I traveled to Koya-san to begin and end my Shikoku Pilgrimage. I collected the calligraphy and stamps unique to all 108 temples (including the 20 bangai) along the 1000 mile trail. When I returned to Koya-san I went to the calligraphy window at the temple to have the final page of my nokyocho stamped and signed. The monk at the window took my book, flipping through the ink heavy pages that had taken me months of lonely backpacking to fill. Finally he arrived at the last blank page. He filled it in without question. Black ink strokes and three deliberate red stamps over the black completed my journey. He closed the book and handed it back to me through the window. We looked at one another for a moment in silence. I was sure this monk could sense the power this moment held for me. After a pause he raised his hand and pointed. I followed his finger to a sign on the right of the window. It took me a second to realize I owed him ¥1,000.

Koya-san is a magical place.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shikoku_Pilgrimage

[cmod]

Wonderful story!

My walking mentor — John McBride — walked Shikoku when he was 18 (nearly 30 years ago) as well. He stole some money from a temple (he was doing it with no cash). Felt so guilty he went back a few days later and confessed. The priest made him clean the temple for a week and taught him how to beg for food in the traditional pilgrim way: standing out in front of houses and announcing your presence.

He completed the entire pilgrimage that way. This last December we did 10 days of Shikoku and went back to the same temple — the priest was still alive! In his 90s. He didn't remember John, but John had a photo of the two from 30 years prior. Incredible to see him be able to trace back and close that loop.

Amazing little moments abound on walks like these.

[ue_]

Out of interest, what prompted you to make such a trip? When I was 18 (granted this was only a couple of years ago) all I managed to do was stay with a host family for a few weeks in Japan :)

[sandgraham]

To be honest, after a pretty lackadaisical first year of college I wanted to do something a bit more extreme. So naturally I dropped out and started looking at Pilgrimage trails. I didn’t really understand much of the historical and spiritual significance of the Shikoku trail until I actually started it and spoke with other pilgrims. The experience, at least at the beginning, was more about taking a completely divergent turn and diving into a culture that had fascinated me for years. That said, if you want to go back, its a surprisingly affordable endeavor if you can clear 4-6 weeks.

[NovaS1X]

Awesome story! I'm actually going to Koya-san this weekend to shoot footage for a video I'm making on Kansai. Any suggestions on where to go on the mountain and surrounding area?

[sandgraham]

I only spent a night up there on both visits, so I made straight for Okunoin. Just kind of sauntering through the cemetery seemed to guide me to the main sites. Okunoin Temple, Kongobu-ji Temple, The Tokugawa Mausoleum, Danjogaran Saito… Also if you feel like splurging, staying at one of the temples that offer rooms is really wonderful. All of Japan has beautiful baths and you can find the bhuddist vegetarian cuisine at many temples, but after walking through a cold misty day on Koya-san it’s a different experience…

[oska]

I highly recommend the book Japanese Pilgrimage by Oliver Statler listed on the wiki page shown above.