Pilgrimage Information
After putting many, many hours of work into my thesis, I wanted to make it available to anyone who had interest in the subject. Thus, I decided to start this site to make this information available. I hope this information is useful for your general knowledge or essay research. I have included references as well. Finally, if you would like to use anything here, please feel free, but send me an e-mail and let me know what you are using it for. I'd love to hear about it!
The Elements of the Pilgrimage
While not complete in research, this is a large section of my thesis that I feel is the most beneficial. It is the second chapter that covers my research regarding the "primary elements" of the pilgrimage. Most of it is fairly basic and general, but some sections, such as the Equipment section, provides more in-depth information than is found anywhere else in English. While meant to be read as a complete document, I have provided bookmarks to areas of particular interest.
Full Text
Bookmarks
Other Documentation
In addition to my written thesis work, there are some other documents that one might find useful.
Internet Survey Conducted Fall 2005
In preparation to write my thesis, I conducted an internet survey of pilgrims and people interested in the pilgrimage. This survey is the result of that work. I want to give special thanks to Hiroshi Kushima, David Turkington, Michael Thaler, David Moreton and the many others who helped me spread the survey. I'd also like to give special thanks to all the people who replied. Included in this packet are four documents: 1) A copy of the survey in English and in Japanese, 3) All the responses grouped together by question (Japanese and English), 4) My translations of the Japanese responses, arranged by question. Feel free to make usage of these survey replies. The four files are in Microsoft Word format, but if you need a text version, please contact me and I can send it to you.
Videos
There have been two videos made in English about the Shikoku Pilgrimage. Both are rather old and hard to find. While neither are perfect and actually have some serious issues, they do provide a window into some perspectives, prejudices and interpretations of the Shikoku Pilgrimage. Both are reproduced here for EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. They are copyright their original owner and I claim no rights to them. Should the copyright holder wish their film to be removed, please contact me and I will remove the film. They are in MEPEG-4 format, which should be readable by Quicktime. If not, please download them and watch with VLC, which will be able to view it.
Pilgrimage to the 88 Temples of Shikoku Island - 1973
Directed and produced by Oliver Statler, this is likely the first English-language video produced. Unfortunately, it has a rather limited view of the pilgrimage. Statler himeslf narrates
Between Two Worlds: A Japanese Pilgrimage - 1992
Directed and produced by by Joanne Hershfield and Susan Caperna Lloyd, this is a more recent video about the pilgrimage. It offers a wider view of the route, but suffers from it's own issues.
Glossary
This is a list that I created for my thesis to provide a glossary for the Japanese words I used. This hopefully will be useful to be able to gain a general understanding of vocabulary involved with the pilgrimage.
Images
Maps
These are a couple of useful maps for gaining a sense of where Shikoku is located and the path of the pilgrimage around the island.
General Map of Japan - View
Origin: Reader, Ian. Making Pilgrimages. Honolulu: University of Hawai’I Press, 2005. (p. xv)
Pilgrimage Trail in Shikoku - View
Origin: Miyata, Bishop Taisen. A Henro Pilgrimage Guide To The 88 Temples Of Shikoku, Island Japan. Los Angeles: Koyasan Buddhist Temple, 2004. (p. 13)
Misc
Image from the Reijiki - View
Image Origin: Shikoku Hachi Jyū Hachi Kasho Henro Bunka to Bijyutsuten 四国八十八ヶ所遍路文化と美術展. Ōtemachi: Nihon Keizai Shinbunsha, 2004. (p. 56)
The first widespread popular pilgrimage only began occurring in the seventeenth century guided by a Shingon monk named Yūben Shinnen (? -1691). Shinnen not only guided pilgrimages to Shikoku, he also collected legends and wrote books about the pilgrimage. He published the first guidebook to the Shikoku Pilgrimage, Shikoku Henro Michishirube (四国遍路道しるべ), “The Guide to the Shikoku Pilgrimage Route” in 1687. This guidebook became the definitive guide to the route and was used by large numbers of pilgrims. Jakuhon, a monk from Mt. Kōya, published a longer guide entitled Shikoku Henro Reijōki (四国遍路霊場記), “An Account of the Pilgrimage Sites of Shikoku” in 1689 that was supplemented by Shinnen’s original work. Jakuhon’s guide provided much more information regarding the temples and their origins as well as provides woodblock prints of the different temples.
Additional Information Origin: Reader, Ian. Making Pilgrimages. Honolulu: University of Hawai’I Press, 2005. (p. 118)
