Shikoku Pilgrimage: Seven of the 88 Temples

The circuit is numbered from here, in Naruto, in Awa, the province Shikoku tradition calls the dojo of awakening, home to the first 23 temples. Tradition says the monk Gyōki founded it under Emperor Shōmu, and that Kūkai, known as Kōbō Daishi, trained here for 21 days in 815. Chōsokabe Motochika's troops burned it in 1582. The whole circuit, depending on the route chosen, runs about 1,100 to 1,400 kilometres on foot. That journey begins here.

Kōchi is the stretch of ascetic training, with 16 temples, and this one sits on Cape Muroto. Kūkai wrote that he trained at this cape, and he is said to have practised the Kokūzō Gumonji rite in a cave nearby. Temple tradition has him carving the main image and founding the temple in 807. Women were barred from the temple until 1872; they prayed from a women's hall at the foot of the climb.

Visitor guidance: Reached from Muroto on the cape.

At Cape Ashizuri, the southern tip of the island, legend says Kūkai threw a ritual vajra eastward before leaving China, and it landed here. The mountain name uses two characters that both mean stumbling, a reminder of how hard the place was to reach. Subtropical plants grow in the grounds today.

Visitor guidance: Open to pilgrims at Cape Ashizuri.

Ehime holds 26 temples, the dojo of enlightenment, and Ishite-ji has one of the circuit's best-known legends. The tale of Emon Saburō says a baby born in 892 came into the world clutching a stone inscribed 'Emon Saburō reborn', and the temple took the name Ishite-ji. In its prime it counted 66 sub-temples.

Visitor guidance: Open to visitors in the city of Matsuyama.

At the highest point of the circuit, this temple stands in Miyoshi, on the Tokushima side of the border, yet counts as the first temple of Kagawa, and it is the circuit's last 'barrier temple'. At 912 metres, it sits higher than any other of the 88. It is known for hydrangeas across the whole slope in summer and autumn colour, and in winter a ropeway lets visitors ride up through the snow.

Visitor guidance: A ropeway runs to the temple, including in winter.

Kagawa has 23 temples, called the dojo of nirvana, and Kūkai came from here, today's Zentsūji city. Tradition says it was built on land given by his father, Saeki Yoshimichi, whose name the temple carries. It is said to be modelled on Qinglong Temple in Chang'an, where Kūkai's teacher lived. The eastern compound and the western Tanjōin have formed its layout since 1249.

Visitor guidance: Open to visitors in Zentsūji city.

The last stop is at Ōkubo-ji in Sanuki, Kagawa. Finishing all the temples is called kechigan or mangan. Pilgrims dedicate their staffs here in the Hōjō-dō. The name comes from a hollow where Kūkai is said to have built a hall. Women were allowed to worship here, so it flourished as a women's Kōya.

Visitor guidance: Open to pilgrims in Sanuki, Kagawa.