Kagawa

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

Nagao-ji is temple No. 87 on the Shikoku pilgrimage or Henro. It stands in the suburbs of Takamatsu city and is the penultimate temple that pilgrims visit before completing their circuit of Shikoku. What to see The Niō Gate was built in 1670 and is known for its unusual construction method of using three wooden…

Shido-ji, The Temple of the Fulfilled Wish, is temple No. 86 on the Shikoku pilgrimage or Henro. It stands on the shore of Shido Bay on the Inland Sea. What to see The temple has a large and imposing Niō Gate, beyond which is a sprawling compound. If you take the second passageway 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…

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…

Ichinomiya-ji is temple No. 83 on the Shikoku pilgrimage, or Henro. It stands among fields and houses on the Takamatsu plain. It adjoins Tamura Shrine, the principal shrine of Sanuki Province. The present temple dates from 1701. There are several small Shintō torii gates in the compound, and pilgrims crawl through them as a purification…

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…

Shiromine-ji is temple No. 81 on the Shikoku pilgrimage, or Henro. The temple stands about 280 m above sea level on the hillside of Shiromine in Sakaide. It has some of the oldest buildings on the pilgrimage, dating back to the seventeenth century. It’s the site of the mausoleum of Emperor Sutoku, who is said…

Sanuki Kokubun-ji is temple No. 80 on the Shikoku pilgrimage, or Henro. Each prefecture has a temple named Kokubun-ji, which are official state temples, founded by order of Emperor Shōmu in 741, and temple No. 80 was the state temple established in the province of Sanuki, today’s Kagawa Prefecture. The temple is home to the…

Tennō-ji is temple No. 79 on the Shikoku pilgrimage, or Henro. Its name derives from the fact that Sutoku Tennō (Emperor Sutoku) lay in state here after his death in 1156, following banishment from Kyōto after his attempted coup against his brother. The temple is nestled in a valley near the Inland Sea in Sakaide….