{Shikoku Hachijūhachikasho Meguri}

--BOOKS & PAPERS ABOUT THE PILGRIMAGE--

-GUIDEBOOKS-

• A Henro Pilgrimage Guide to the 88 Temples of Shikoku Island, Japan, by Bishop Taisen MIYATA of the Los Angeles Kōyasan Buddhist Temple. Contains some general information about the pilgrimage but most of the book is historical information on each of the 88 temples. It also contains the Heart Surta (which is recited at each temple) in both Japanese Romaji and English.

  Either this book, Journey of The Soul immediately below, or Visiting The Sacred Sites of Kūkai further down the page is a definite should read, and maybe one of the books you might carry with you in order to read the historical information about each temple as you visit it.
  Bishop Taisen MIYATA
  Los Angeles Kōya-san Buddhist Temple
  342 First Street
  Los Angeles, Ca, 90012
  (I bought it from Bishop Miyata at this address way back in 1999, so i don't know if it is still available there...)
  [Miyata's A Henro Pilgrimage Guide (above) and Moreton's A Journey of the Soul (below) are very hard to find now. You're best bet might be to get a copy of Visiting The Sacred Sites of Kūkai. While not the exact same information it is close and is still highly recommended.]

• A Journey of the Soul: The Shikoku Pilgrimage and its 88 Temples, by Tatsuo MURO and David MORETON. A great book with historical information on the 88 main temples on the pilgrimage. Very much like Miyata-san's book above, it has one page on each of the temples with a short history and what to find there.

  Either this book, A Henro Pilgrimage Guide to the 88 Temples of Shikoku Island immediately above, or Visiting The Sacred Sites of Kūkai further down the page is a definite should read, and maybe one of the books you might carry with you in order to read the historical information about each temple as you visit it.
  Tatsuo MURO and David MORETON
  Moreton's web site.
  [Miyata's A Henro Pilgrimage Guide and Moreton's A Journey of the Soul are very hard to find now. You're best bet might be to get a copy of Visiting The Sacred Sites of Kūkai. While not the exact same information it is close and is still highly recommended.]

• AWA Henro: A Bilingual Guidebook for Pilgrims in Tokushima. Published by AWA88. Who says that Kōbō Daishi isn't alive and out there watching over us. I didn't think i'd ever see a copy of this book as it is out of print with no plans for a reprinting. Then Kōbō showed up in the form of someone living in Tokushima and here i am with my own copy. Thanks Fiona. This bilingual book (English/Japanese) contains a wealth of information about each of the 23 temples in Tokushima Prefecture, numerous other temples in the prefecture, about the origin, history, and lore of the pilgrimage in general, and an overview of the Buddhism and its symbolism needed to understand it all. Well worth looking for a copy.
  The Office of AWA88
  Nakatori-machi 2-32
  Tokushima-ken, 770, Japan

• By Bike Around Shikoku. An eBook by Tony GIBB, estimated on Amazon to be about 352 pages long, and documenting Tony's bicycle ride around the henro trail in 2010. It appears that he both rode and used public transportation, the later being possible because he used a folding bicycle that was stored in a bag when he wanted to use a train/bus/taxi. I haven't read it yet, but anohter 'Known Henro' told me: "A very quick read — plenty of photographs — a kind of superficial charm — not much depth or info & a couple of factual mistakes."
  Available online

• Shikoku 88 Kasho Shōsai Chizu Chō. A great little book (written in Japanese) much like a combination of Miyazaki-san's map book and Miyata-san's information book on each of the temples. It contains maps for the entire circuit with less detail than Miyazaki-san's, but enough to get you around the island. This book, however, was written for those who are driving the pilgrimage and i don't recommend it for walkers. Like Miyata-san's, this book gives you a few paragraphs of information on each of the temples, but also comes with color pictures and sketches of the layout of the temple compounds so you know which building is what. Also like Miyazaki-san's, this book has a good listing of minshuku, ryokan, and hotels you can possibly stay at.

  Because this book was designed for people who drive their car, this might be a great option for bicycle henro.
  Zasshi Shikoku
  Nariai-machi 772-7
  Takamatsu-shi
  Kagawa-ken
  Yubin Bango 761-8082
  Japan
  (087) 885-1939

• Shikoku Henro: Hitori Aruki Dōgyō Ninin (Shikoku Pilgrim: Walking Alone, Two Fellow Pilgrims). A two volume set, both in Japanese. Either volume 2 of this set, the maps themselves, or the English Shikoku Japan 88 Route Guide below, is a 100% must buy if you are walking. Written in Japanese, this set is called the Henro Bible by most Japanese. Originally led by MIYAZAKI Tateki, and now by his son, it was written and prepared by members of the the Cooperative Society to Preserve the Henro Trail for the person who intends to walk the pilgrimage. Volume one, while not necessary if you don't read Japanese, contains a wealth of information about the pilgrimage, what you need to buy and carry with you when you walk, medical information, time and distance between temples, and the footnotes for information on the maps contained in volume two.

  Volume two of Shikoku Henro Hitori Aruki Dōgyō Ninin is the map book that leads you from temple to temple and around the island. It contains all the necessary maps needed to make the trip and at least this volume is invaluable to all walkers of the pilgrimage. Even though all the writing is in Japanese, this shouldn't be a problem once you take the time to figure out how it is laid out - a time consuming but easy task. I offer some advice on this process on other pages in this web site. Volume two also contains about a dozen pages with the names, addresses, and phone numbers of minshuku, ryokan, hotels, and other places to stay. It is a great reference and all you probably need.

  Volume 1 on the left. Volume 2 (maps) on the right.

  An example of one of the pages in the mapbook.

  You can buy the books at several temples or (possibly) online at the Henro Michi Hozon Kyoryoku Kai website. The current 11^th edition of the maps costs ¥2,915, or ¥4,080 for set of two books. The website says they are available at Temples 1, 10, 21, 23, 24, 37, 40, 45, 51, 54, and 75. Plus, several other shops listed.
  There website is at www.iyohenro.jp (Japanese), although i'm not sure they ship internationally.

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• Shikoku Japan 88 Route Guide
  The true Henro Bible. Everything you need to know, and every walking henro who doesn't read Japanese should to carry it.

  The book includes 45 pages of general (but helpful) information about the pilgrimage plus all the maps you need to get around the island, including the main 88 temples, the 20 bangai temples, Mt.Ishizuchi, and Mt. Kōya. The maps also indicate lodging, grocery stores, convenience stores, restaurants, gas stations, rest areas, public toilets, and much, much more. All temple descriptions include how to get there via public transportation, and where it may be benefical, some bus timetables are included. The guidebook also contains an elevation profile, beginning at the front of the book and continuing on the bottom of two of the individual map pages.

  An excellent book and i both use it and highly recommend it.

  Note 1: This is an excellent guidebook, but over time, occasional mistakes do appear as some lodgings close and others open, phone numbers change, etc. When i hear about these, i post the information on the Online Forum, in the section titled, appropriately, Shikoku Japan 88 Route Guide. With each new edition of the book, the publisher also includes a list of recent lodging closings and changes. This is also posted on the Online Forum. If you find something closed and out of business, but still listed in the guidebook, please help all other henro by posting it to the forum or emailing me and i will do it.

  Be sure to check the forum for any recent closings/changes and update your copy of the guidebook before heading to Shikoku.

  Note 2: A Korean version is also available. Follow the link below to Buyodo Publishing if you're interested.

  Guidebook Cover (6th Edition; 2018)	Table of Contents Contents: 1 Legend: 2 Index Map: 3–6 Elevation & distance map No. 1: 7 Kōbō Daishi (Kūkai): 8 Useful Information: 8–10 Proper etiquette at a temple: 11 Oaths and Precepts: 12 Basic Information of Buddhist Statues: 12–13 Pilgrim Attire and other items: 14 Access: 15–16 Maps: 17–95 Elevation & distance map No. 2: 75–76 Going to Mt. Kōya: Map 95 Practical Phrases: 96 List of Public Information Offices: 97	Guidebook Legend (Click to enlarge)	Example map page (Click to enlarge)
  		Example page (Click to enlarge)	Example elevation map (Click to enlarge)

  The guidebook is available at the following online sites:

  Shikoku Japan 88 Route Guide
  Online Site	Ships From
  Buyodo Publishing (The author/editor/publisher's personal website) (Look for the "Method of ordering and payment" section of the page)	Japan
  Amazon Japan	Japan

  The guidebook is also available at these physical loctaions:

  • At Tokushima Station, in the Kiosk across from the ticket vending machines.
  • In the henro store at Temple 1.
  • In the henro store outside Temple 1, next to the parking lot.
  • At Sumotoriya, a shop below Temple 10, the last shop on the left as you walk up the street.
  • Medaka no Sato Information Center, near Temple 11.
  • Fureai no Sato Sakamoto, near Bekkaku Temple 3.
  • Tokiwa Ryokan, in Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, near Bekkaku Temple 8.
  • In the baggage storage office in front of Takamatsu Station.

  Outside of Japan:
  • Boekhandel Scheltema (Amsterdam)
  • Librairie du Voyage (Rennes, France)
  • Travel Book Shop AG (Zürich)
  • Tasmanian Map Centre (Australia)

• Visiting the Sacred Sites of Kūkai
  A translation into English of the first volume (no maps) of the Japanese guidebook by Miyazaki Tateki, Shikoku Henro: Hitori Aruki Dogyo Ninin (Shikoku Pilgrim: Walking Alone, Two Fellow Pilgrims) [See above].

  This book is divided into two parts: the first half gives general information on the pilgrimage: how much it cost, when to go, what to pack, etc. The second half gives a paragraph of historical information on 238 temples found along the henro trail.

  From the Amazon.co.jp website: "Originally published in Japanese, this renowned guidebook by Tateki Miyazaki offers detailed and practical information on how to make the 1,200-kilometer pilgrimage around the island of Shikoku. For example: when is the best time to go, how much does it cost, how to make a daily plan, what to take, what to do at each temple, what rules a pilgrim should follow, how to sleep outside, how to perform takuhatsu and waterfall training, and what to do when the journey is over. In addition, in the second half of the book, there are brief historical descriptions of 238 sacred sites along the pilgrimage route that have some relation to the 8th Century Shingon Buddhist priest Kūkai, who is also known as Kobo Daishi."

  Either this book, A Henro Pilgrimage Guide to the 88 Temples of Shikoku Island (above), or Journey of The Soul (above) is a definite should read, and maybe one of the books you might carry with you in order to read the historical information about each temple as you visit it.

  Note: A 2^nd printing of Sacred Sites was released in September 2015 that adjusts page number references to match the new 4^th edition of 88 Route Guide. The content hasn't changed — just page numbers and typos were corrected. I still have copies of the 2011 1^st printing and will sell them for $5.00 + shipping (about $6 less than the total price below). Email me if you want one.

  Table of Contents: PART 1 (57 pages) Chapter 1: Time Chapter 2: Number Of Days Required Chapter 3: Preparing For The Trip Chapter 4: Costs and A Budget Chapter 5: How To Plan Chapter 6: Pilgrimage Goods and Things To Pay Attention To Chapter 7: Equipment and Things To Carry Chapter 8: The Weight Of The Gear Chapter 9: Pre-Departure Preparations Chapter 10: Money Chapter 11: Making Reservations Chapter 12: Manners At The Sacred Sites Chapter 13: Rules (Do's and Don'ts) Of A Pilgrim Chapter 14: How To Walk The Pilgrim Path Chapter 15: Sleeping Outside Chapter 16: About Takuhatsu Chapter 17: Waterfall Training Chapter 18: Going Home — The End Of The Training Appendix 1: Chart Of Time/Distance Between Temples Appendix 2: Weight Of Basic, Commonly Carried, Gear PART 2 (87 pages) List of Sacred Sites

  The book is available at the following online sites:

  Visiting the Sacred Sites of Kūkai
  Online Site	Ships From
  Buyodo Publishing (The author/editor/publisher's personal website) (Look for the "Method of ordering and payment" section of the page)	Japan
  Amazon Japan (Paper version) Amazon US (Kindle version)	Japan

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• The Traveller's Guide to Japanese Pilgrimages. Written by Ed READICKER-HENDERSON this gives the bare-bones basics of three separate pilgrimages in Japan. About half the book is devoted to the Shikoku pilgrimage and includes anything from a few paragraphs to a page on each of the 88 temples.
  Weatherhill, 1995

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