The largest city in Shikoku, Matsuyama has maintained its vitality and cultural traditions across the centuries.

Yokomine-ji, The Temple on the Side of the Ridge, is temple No. 60 on the Shikoku pilgrimage, or Henro. It stands in the foothills of Mt. Ishizuchi in Saijō. In the Edo period, travel was regulated by gated checkpoints called ‘sekisho’. On the pilgrimage, there are ‘sekishodera’ in each of the provinces, and these temples...

Mount Ishizuchi is the highest mountain on Shikoku and also the highest mountain in western Japan.

Maegami-ji, The Temple in Front of God, is temple No. 64 on the Shikoku pilgrimage, or Henro. It’s located in the foothills of Mt. Ishizuchi, the highest mountain in western Japan, which dominates the scenery of Saijō. What to see The temple itself is invisible from its entrance. All you can see is a gate...

Senyū-ji, The Temple of Playing in the Mountains, is temple No. 58 on the Shikoku pilgrimage and one of the more impressively located pilgrimage temples. It stands on the side of Mt. Sakure, 312 m above sea level, which means that pilgrims who walk to it have quite a climb. The modern guardian statues in...

Taisan-ji, The Temple of the Big Mountain, is temple No. 52 on the Shikoku pilgrimage, or Henro. Located in the outskirts of Matsuyama, it has wonderful views of the Shikoku Mountains on clear days. The main building is one of the more spectacular on the pilgrimage. What to see The approach to Taisan-ji is very...

A historic area of Matsuyama, known for Dōgo Onsen, the oldest onsen in Japan.

The oldest hot spring in Japan, with a history going back over 1,000 years.

Kuma Highland is an expansive inhabited area at a high elevation in central Ehime bordering Kōchi Prefecture.

Daihō-ji, the Temple of Great Treasure, is temple No. 44 on the Shikoku Pilgrimage, or Henro. It stands in a forest of ancient sugi and hinoki cypress trees in the area known as Kuma Highland in central Ehime. What to see The approach to the temple begins in the town where there’s a high wooden...

Iwaya-ji, The Temple of the Rock Hermitage, is temple No. 45 on the Shikoku Pilgrimage, or Henro. If there’s one temple on the pilgrimage you really should visit in Ehime Prefecture, Iwaya-ji is it. The temple is located on Kuma Highland in a gorge formed of conglomerate rock. It inspires awe, from the trek up...

Shōryū-ji, The Blue Dragon Temple, is temple No. 36 on the Shikoku pilgrimage, or Henro. It stands near the tip of the Yokonami Peninsula which juts out into the Pacific Ocean parallel to the shore of Tosa city, creating a deep inlet called Uranouchi Bay. What to See The temple is hidden in a valley recessed from the...

Kiyotaki-ji, The Temple of the Pure Waterfall, is temple No. 35 on the Shikoku pilgrimage, or Henro. It stands midway up Mt. Kiyotaki at an elevation of 137 m surrounded by citrus groves at the end of a steep, narrow, and winding road with ditches on either side. What to See Walking pilgrims must climb...

Kochi City is the capital of Kochi Prefecture known for its castle, its historic tram system, its food and the friendliness of its inhabitants.

Kōchi’s best-known place to eat.

Beach is located about 30 km south of Kochi City on the picturesque Tosa Bay.

Chikurin-ji is temple No. 31 on the Shikoku pilgrimage, or Henro. It’s located on Mt. Godai, a fairly high hill within Kōchi city. Chikurin-ji means ‘bamboo forest temple’, although today, Mt. Godai is more broad-leaf and pine forest than bamboo. What to see Chikurin-ji has many beauties. There’s a long approach to the main compound...

Kongōchō-ji is temple No. 26 on the Shikoku pilgrimage, or Henro. It’s one of the three temples in Muroto known collectively as Muroto Sanzan. It stands in woodland high on Cape Gyōdo, one of several promontories that protrude from the west side of the Muroto Peninsula. What to see A flight of steps leads up...

Kōnomine-ji is temple No. 27 on the Shikoku pilgrimage or Henro. Each prefecture has a ‘sekishodera’, a temple considered the most difficult to access in the days when pilgrims only walked. Kōnomine-ji is the sekishodera of Kōchi. It’s located on the hillside around 430 m above sea level on Mt. Kōnomine. It’s accessed by road...

Hotsumisaki-ji is temple No. 24 on the Shikoku pilgrimage or Henro. It stands at an elevation of 300 m on the tip of Cape Muroto, a warm place where subtropical plants grow. For walking pilgrims, it’s a welcome spot since it marks the end of one of the longest stretches between temples on the pilgrimage...

The Muroto Peninsula forms the southwestern part of Shikoku, where the island comes to a sharp point.

Caves where the young Kūkai, founder of the Shikoku Pilgrimage, made a rough home.

Yakuō-ji is temple No. 23 on the Shikoku pilgrimage or Henro. Yakuō-ji offers a beautiful view of Hiwasa Bay and Hiwasa Castle from the viewing area around the modern pagoda, while the pagoda can be seen from a considerable distance away. What to see From the town, the temple rises steeply up the hill with...

Kakurin-ji is temple No. 20 on the Shikoku pilgrimage, or Henro. Located 490 m above sea level, the path up to it is rated among the “pilgrim-killers”. It stands across the Naka River from Temple No. 21, Tairyū-ji, another mountain-top temple. From Kakurin-ji, you can see as far as Awaji Island and the Pacific Ocean....

Tairyū-ji is temple No. 21 on the Shikoku pilgrimage, or Henro. Located at 610 m above sea level, it’s one of the “nansho”, the difficult temples to reach on foot. Nevertheless, the climb isn’t particularly arduous. Whether you walk or take the cable car, Tairyū-ji is one of the most rewarding of the eighty-eight locations to...

Byōdō-ji is temple No. 22 on the Shikoku Pilgrimage, or Henro. It stands at the foot of a low range of mountains in Anan near the Kuwano River. What to see A two-storey Niō Gate flanked by stone lanterns stands atop a dozen steps up from the road. There’s a belfry on the left, then...

Jōraku-ji is temple No. 14 on the Shikoku Pilgrimage, or Henro. It stands in the hills on the south side of the Tokushima rift valley, just outside the city of Tokushima. What to see This temple has one of the most unusual courtyards of the pilgrimage. It was built on a tilted outcrop of mudstone,...

Awa Kokubun-ji is temple No. 15 on the Shikoku Pilgrimage, or Henro. It stands among rice fields on the floor of the Tokushima rift valley, not far from Tokushima city. Awa Kokubun-ji is one of only three Zen temples on the pilgrimage. The other two are Temple 11 Fujii-dera and Temple 33 Sekkei-ji. What to...

Ryōzen-ji is temple No. 1 on the Shikoku Pilgrimage, stands near the foot of the Sanuki Mountains in the Tokushima rift valley.

Gokuraku-ji is temple No. 2 on the Shikoku Pilgrimage, or Henro. It stands in the foothills of the Sanuki Mountains in the Tokushima rift valley, and the temple is surrounded by wooded mountains on three sides. The temple is next to a dairy farm, and you can hear the cows mooing. What to see From...

Kumadani-ji is temple No. 8 on the Shikoku pilgrimage, or Henro. It stands in a valley of the Sanuki Mountains in the Tokushima rift valley. What to see The Niō Gate is the biggest of all the 88 temples. The towering gate stands alone in fields on a narrow road, separate from the main compound...

Ōkubo-ji is Temple No. 88 and the last temple of the Shikoku Pilgrimage.

A dramatic, flat-topped mountain island bordering Takamatsu on its east side, Yashima is named the “roof island”, after its characteristic shape.

Yashima-ji is temple No. 84 on the Shikoku pilgrimage, or Henro. It occupies a large compound on the dramatic flat-topped island of Yashima to the east of Takamatsu. The compound includes buildings dated at various periods, from the Kamakura to the current era. What to See Yashima-ji was originally accessed by a trail on the...

Yakuri-ji is temple No. 85 on the Shikoku pilgrimage, or Henro. It’s located high on a mountainside to the east of Yashima. The temple can be accessed on foot using the Henro path, by car, and by cable car. There’s a wealth of things to see at this large temple compound. Yakuri-ji is sacred to...

Negoro-ji is temple No. 82 on the Shikoku pilgrimage, or Henro. It stands on at an elevation of 365 m on the side of Mt. Aomine, part of the Goshikidai plateau overlooking the city of Takamatsu. What to see There’s lots to see at this temple, which amply rewards a visit. The trip up to...

Shusshaka-ji is temple No. 73 on the Shikoku Pilgrimage. The temple stands at the bottom of the imposing Mt. Gahaishi. From the temple itself, there’s an expansive view over the plains of Sanuki. Near the temple are the remains of numerous ancient tumuli. While the temple is a pleasant place to visit, the inner sanctuary...

A strangely shaped mountain where the young Kūkai made a legendary leap.

Zentsū-ji is temple No. 75 on the Shikoku pilgrimage or Henro. The first Shingon temple in Japan, it’s renowned as the birthplace of Kūkai. It’s the largest temple complex in Shikoku with seven shrines and a pagoda. It’s counted as one of the three great sacred places related to Kūkai, along with Mt. Kōya in...

A Shintō shrine dedicated to the patron deity of sailors and sailing.

The Shoin Treasure House in the mountainside precincts of Konpira Shrine features beautifully painted sliding doors.

A small town in Kagawa, the site of Shikoku’s largest Shinto shrine complex, Konpira-san.