Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage Guide: Henro Basics and Japanese to Use

The Shikoku Henro is a circuit of 88 temples linked to the monk Kōbō Daishi, looping around the whole island through all four prefectures. Whether you walk it all, ride between temples by car or bus, or visit just the first few, the pilgrimage has its own clothes, rituals and words, and learning them makes every temple visit richer.

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Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage Guide: Henro Basics and Japanese to Use

The Shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage, Shikoku Hachijūhakkasho or simply the henro, follows the footsteps of Kōbō Daishi, the monk Kūkai, who was born on Shikoku and trained in its mountains and capes. The full loop runs roughly 1,200 kilometres around the island, and walking it takes most people well over a month. Many more pilgrims, o-henro-san, travel by car, bus or train, or complete the circuit in sections over several years. This guide covers how to start at Temple 1, Ryōzen-ji, near Bandō Station in Tokushima, what pilgrims wear and carry, how to pray at each temple and receive the calligraphy stamp in the nōkyōchō, the custom of osettai, the words on the signs, the Japanese for the temple stamp office and the road, and how to rehearse it aloud before you go.

88 temples in a loop of roughly 1,200 km, through Tokushima, Kōchi, Ehime and Kagawa

Temple 1, Ryōzen-ji, is a ten-minute walk from JR Bandō Station and sells pilgrim supplies

Pray at the main hall and the Daishi hall first, then receive the stamp at the nōkyōsho

Say nōkyō o onegai shimasu at the stamp office

Why walk the Shikoku pilgrimage

Kōbō Daishi, the monk Kūkai who founded the Shingon school of Buddhism in the ninth century, was born on Shikoku and trained in its mountains and on its capes. The 88 temples associated with him, the fudasho, form a loop around the island, and pilgrims have followed it for centuries. A famous legend tells of Emon Saburō, a rich man who broke the begging bowl of a monk without knowing it was Kōbō Daishi, and who set out around Shikoku to seek forgiveness; his journey is said to be the origin of the henro.

The circuit passes through all four prefectures, which are traditionally given spiritual meanings: Tokushima is the place of awakening, Kōchi of ascetic training, Ehime of enlightenment and Kagawa of nirvana. Between the temples the route crosses mountains, follows wild coastlines and runs through ordinary towns, and the pilgrim in white is a familiar sight to everyone who lives there.

You do not have to be Buddhist, or a walker, to take part. The pilgrims' association welcomes people of any faith, and many visitors simply spend a day or two visiting the first few temples in Tokushima. For a Japanese learner, the henro is a chance to step into a living tradition with its own small, polite vocabulary, used in exactly the same way at every temple.

The two-storey wooden main gate of Ryōzen-ji with tiled roofs and hanging lanterns, framed by pruned pines, with a pilgrim in white walking through
The main gate of Ryōzen-ji, Temple 1, where most pilgrims begin the circuit.Naokijp, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Getting there: Temple 1, Ryōzen-ji, near Bandō Station

Temple 1, Ryōzen-ji, is in Naruto, in the north-east of Tokushima Prefecture. By train, take the JR Kōtoku Line from Tokushima or Takamatsu to Bandō Station; from Naruto, take the JR Naruto Line to Ikenotani and change there. The temple is about ten minutes' walk from Bandō Station. Trains are roughly hourly. Infrequent buses between Naruto Station and Itano also stop at Ryōzen-ji-mae.

Ryōzen-ji is the traditional starting point because it is the temple closest to Kōyasan, the Shingon headquarters, where many pilgrims pray before and after the circuit. It sells everything a new pilgrim needs, from the white vest to the stamp book, and staff are used to explaining the basics. Temples 2 to 5 are all within walking distance of each other, so a first day can easily cover several.

A quiet town street with old houses and a tall stone pillar on the right carved with kanji marking the way to the first temple of the Shikoku pilgrimage
Stone pillars on the approach to Ryōzen-ji mark it as the first temple of Shikoku.そらみみ, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
JapaneseRomajiMeaning
板東駅まで行きたいんですが、池谷で乗り換えですか。Bandō-eki made ikitai n desu ga, Ikenotani de norikae desu ka.I want to go to Bandō Station. Do I change at Ikenotani?
霊山寺はどちらですか。Ryōzen-ji wa dochira desu ka.Which way is Ryōzen-ji?
遍路用品はどこで買えますか。Henro yōhin wa doko de kaemasu ka.Where can I buy pilgrim supplies?
二番札所まで歩いて何分くらいですか。Niban fudasho made aruite nanpun kurai desu ka.About how many minutes' walk is it to Temple 2?
この道は遍路道ですか。Kono michi wa henro michi desu ka.Is this the pilgrim path?

Clothes, the staff and the stamp book

Pilgrim clothing is mostly white and has a meaning for each piece. You do not need it all, and many pilgrims wear only the white vest over ordinary clothes, but wearing at least the vest tells everyone you are an o-henro-san, and people will greet you and offer help.

The most important item is the nōkyōchō, the stamp book. At each temple, after praying, you take it to the nōkyōsho, where staff write the temple's name in ink calligraphy and add red seals. The association stresses that this is not a souvenir stamp but proof that you prayed. With the stamp you also receive an osugata, a small paper image of the temple's main deity.

  • Hakui (白衣): the white robe or vest, often printed with Namu Daishi Henjō Kongō.
  • Sugegasa (菅笠): the sedge hat, inscribed with verses, that protects you from sun and rain.
  • Kongōzue (金剛杖): the walking staff, said to represent Kōbō Daishi; by custom you do not tap it on bridges.
  • Wagesa (輪袈裟): the stole worn around the neck when praying.
  • Nōkyōchō (納経帳): the stamp book for the calligraphy and seals of all 88 temples.
  • Osamefuda (納め札): name slips you leave at each hall, whose colour changes with how many circuits you have made.
  • Zudabukuro (頭陀袋): the shoulder bag for your book, sutras, candles and incense.

Words on the signs: temples, halls and paths

Each of the 88 temples has the same basic layout: a gate, a purification basin, a bell, the main hall and a hall dedicated to Kōbō Daishi, plus the stamp office. Once you can read these few signs, every temple becomes easy to navigate. Between temples, small signs and stickers showing a pilgrim figure and an arrow mark the henro michi, the pilgrim path.

Six words you will see on the Shikoku pilgrimage: fudasho, nōkyōsho, hondō, Daishidō, henro michi and sanmon, in Japanese with romaji
Six words that appear at every one of the 88 temples and on the paths between them.
WordReadingMeaning
札所fudashoNumbered pilgrimage temple
山門sanmonTemple gate
本堂hondōMain hall
大師堂DaishidōHall of Kōbō Daishi
納経所nōkyōshoStamp office
遍路道henro michiPilgrim path
お接待osettaiGifts offered to pilgrims
宿坊shukubōTemple lodging
結願kechiganCompletion of the pilgrimage

Japanese for the temple and the stamp office

The order at each temple is the same. Bow at the gate, purify your hands and mouth at the basin, ring the bell once if it is permitted, then at the main hall light a candle and incense, put your name slip in the box, make an offering, and recite or read the sutras. Repeat at the Daishi hall. Only then go to the stamp office.

Stamp offices keep fixed daytime hours, and they can be busy in spring and autumn, so arrive with time to spare; the association asks pilgrims who arrive just before closing to explain why they need the stamp first. A simple polite request and a word of thanks at the end are all you need.

Steep, mossy stone steps climbing through a cedar forest to a small temple hall, with stone lanterns and a pilgrim in white partway up
Many temples sit at the top of long flights of stone steps, part of the effort of the henro.Raita Futo from Tokyo, Japan, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
JapaneseRomajiMeaning
納経帳をください。Nōkyōchō o kudasai.A stamp book, please.
白衣はどのサイズがありますか。Hakui wa dono saizu ga arimasu ka.What sizes do you have for the white vest?
鐘をついてもいいですか。Kane o tsuite mo ii desu ka.May I ring the bell?
ろうそくとお線香はどこに置けばいいですか。Rōsoku to o-senkō wa doko ni okeba ii desu ka.Where should I place the candle and incense?
宿坊に泊まれますか。予約が必要ですか。Shukubō ni tomaremasu ka. Yoyaku ga hitsuyō desu ka.Can I stay at the temple lodging? Do I need a reservation?
次の札所までどのくらいですか。Tsugi no fudasho made dono kurai desu ka.How far is it to the next temple?
お接待、ありがとうございます。O-settai, arigatō gozaimasu.Thank you for your kindness to pilgrims.

Etiquette, timing and practical tips

The henro is a religious journey, and the temples are active places of worship. Respect for the people who live along the route has kept the tradition of welcome alive for centuries.

  • Bow when you enter and leave through each temple gate.
  • Pray first, then receive your stamp; the stamp is a record of prayer, not a souvenir.
  • Place incense in the centre of the burner and candles at the top, so others have room.
  • Do not tap your staff on bridges: legend says Kōbō Daishi once slept under one.
  • Accept osettai graciously, and do not ask for it.
  • Book shukubō and inns in advance, especially in spring and autumn, the busiest pilgrimage seasons.
  • In winter, days are short and some mountain paths are dangerous after dark; finish walking early.
  • Carry cash for stamp offerings, small purchases and lodgings in rural areas.

Practise the stamp office before you go

You will have the same short conversation 88 times on the henro, so it is worth getting it right. You ask for the nōkyō, the staff may check that you have already prayed, and they take your book. Notice the honorific o-sumi desu ka, have you finished, and o-azukari shimasu, I will take it from you, both standard polite forms used at counters everywhere in Japan.

Say the four lines aloud until they are second nature. Then open Unihongo, choose the Cultural Etiquette topic and ask your AI Sensei to play temple staff, sometimes reminding you to pray first or telling you the office is about to close. Add the Directions topic to practise asking the way between temples.

A four-line chat between a pilgrim and temple staff at the stamp office about asking for a stamp after praying at the main hall and the Daishi hall, in Japanese with romaji
The exchange at the stamp office: ask for the nōkyō and confirm you have prayed at both halls.
JapaneseRomajiMeaning
納経をお願いします。Nōkyō o onegai shimasu.May I have the temple stamp, please?
お参りはお済みですか。O-mairi wa o-sumi desu ka.Have you finished your prayers?
はい、本堂と大師堂にお参りしました。Hai, hondō to Daishidō ni o-mairi shimashita.Yes, I prayed at the main hall and the Daishi hall.
では、納経帳をお預かりします。Dewa, nōkyōchō o o-azukari shimasu.Then I'll take your stamp book.

Official information

The Shikoku 88 Sacred Sites association publishes the basics of the pilgrimage, the way to pray, the pilgrim supplies and answers to common questions in English. Read them before you start, and check each temple's details on the same site.

Key points

A practical way to improve

Read the dialogue in this guide aloud until it feels natural, then open Unihongo and choose the Cultural Etiquette topic. Ask your AI Sensei to play the staff member at a temple stamp office: ask for your nōkyō, answer the question about whether you have prayed, and ask the way to the next temple, and let the Sensei answer in the polite register used at temples. Then try the Directions topic and practise asking locals the way along the henro path. The session report afterwards lists your corrections and the new vocabulary, so the words come easily at Temple 1.

  1. 1

    Choose one clear goal

    Focus each session on a situation or skill you can actually use.

  2. 2

    Practice actively

    Say complete answers aloud instead of only reading or recognizing Japanese.

  3. 3

    Review and repeat

    Keep useful corrections and revisit the same skill until it feels natural.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How long does the Shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage take?

Walking the whole loop of roughly 1,200 kilometres usually takes somewhere between forty days and two months, depending on your pace and route. By car or on an organised bus tour, the 88 temples can be visited in around ten days to two weeks. Many people split the pilgrimage into sections, kugiri-uchi, over several trips, or visit the temples of one prefecture at a time, which is also a recognised way to do the henro.

Do I have to visit the temples in order?

No. The pilgrims' association says it is not necessary to visit in numerical order, and you can start at any temple and follow any route. Most guidebooks and the signs along the way assume you go from Temple 1 to Temple 88, clockwise around the island. Walking the circuit in reverse, gyaku-uchi, is considered harder and is traditionally associated with leap years.

What do Shikoku pilgrims wear?

The traditional outfit is white: a white robe or vest, hakui, often printed with Namu Daishi Henjō Kongō, plus a sedge hat, sugegasa, a walking staff, kongōzue, which represents Kōbō Daishi himself, and a stole, wagesa. You do not need everything at the start; the association suggests beginning with the basics, such as the stamp book and a white vest, and adding items as you go. Temple 1, Ryōzen-ji, sells a full set.

What is osettai?

Osettai is the Shikoku custom of giving to pilgrims: a drink, fruit, sweets, a lift, a place to rest or sometimes a little money. Local people believe that helping a pilgrim brings them the same merit as making the pilgrimage. If you are offered osettai, accept it with thanks; refusing can be seen as rude. Pilgrims traditionally give an osamefuda, a name slip, in return.

What does o-henro-san mean?

Henro, 遍路, is the pilgrimage and also the pilgrim. Adding the polite o- in front and -san after gives o-henro-san, the affectionate way local people refer to pilgrims, as in o-henro-san, ganbatte kudasai, keep going, pilgrim. You will hear it all over Shikoku, especially if you wear the white vest.

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