Reflections of a Shikoku Pilgrim

{Shikoku Hachijūhachikasho Meguri}

--WEEK ONE--

--3/28: In The Air--

--3/29: Just Arrived--

--3/30: Mt. Kōya--

--3/31: To Tokushima--

--4/1: On The Trail--

--4/2: Preparing To Burn--
Have been busy and settling into a routine so haven't had, or been willing to make, the time to write up my thoughts each night. I'll try and catch up over the next few days, but i'm sure I won't write anything tomorrow.

While at Bangai 1, Taisanji, this morning they were setting up the compound for one of their four yearly goma (fire) ceremonies. When I asked one of the workers about water, he told us he had some fresh water in his car and wanted to fill our water bottles with that. As he filled the bottles, he asked where we were staying tonight and when I told him he told us that he wanted to pick us up with his car tomorrow morning and bring us back to Taisanji so we could watch the ceremony. Then, as if that wasn't enough, after the ceremony he wants to take us home to stay at his house for the night. Then the next morning, Monday, he would drive us to Temple 8 where we will restart our walk.

Of course we accepted the whole package, so by this time tomorrow night I will either be really happy or in the hospital with burned feet from walking over the fire coals. :-)

Tonight's lodging doesn't have a bath or serve any meals. So why stay at such a place, you ask? Because he gave us free admission to the local onsen (hot springs bath house), drove us over, and came back hours later to pick us up. While there we ate at the restaurant inside for the cost of peanuts. From there it was to the grocery store to buy food for breakfast, and then back to the lodging. So for several hours tonight we got to walk around butt naked with a hundred other people soaking up the atmosphere and loving the hot, hot, hot baths. Can't do that at home. It was great.

--4/3: Burned Out But Not Burnt--
The goma (fire) ceremony was interesting, but not what i would call fascinating. It was a simple affair with all the rituals you would expect from ceremony held for the public's sake but without a lot of flair or what was obvious unneeded ceremony. There was a lot of chanting, lots and lots of chanting, mainly the Heart Sutra, and a few ceremonial Shugendo rituals, but that was over in about 30 minutes and then a pile of wood about 4' x 4' x 4' (1.2m x 1.2m x 1.2 m), covered in hinoki branches, was set alight.

After about 15 minutes then entire pole had been reduced to a pile of burning logs, which were then spread out to stop the flames and bring it under control &mash; red hot, but under control. For the priests, they spread some fresh wood over the logs, which immediately sprung into flames, so that the priests had to actually walk through flames. For us lay men and women, the put out the flames and had us walk over the hot but flameless logs. Although many looked concerned, no one looked panicked, and as people walked over, no one even seemed to blink so I couldn't see how this could be all that difficult. I jumped in line and as I walked across the logs, I'd say they felt warm, but never even uncomfortable, let alone painful. It turns out to be just not that big of a deal. All around it was a great experience.

Picture

After the ceremony our new friend packed us into his car and we headed west to see the Kazurabashi Vine Bridge, a replica of a suspension bridge made of tree vines and spanning a river in the western part of Tokushima Prefecture. We never made it.

Long story short, we ended up at a bar drinking and didn't get to a nearby business hotel until after 2am. We never made it back to the onsen where our host had already paid for the rooms.

Early the next morning we walked to Ikeda train station to find a taxi back to the onsen. Didn't find one so we took a train to the next station to look there. Nothing there so back on the train and back to Ikeda station. Finally found a taxi and headed back to the onsen.

After something to eat, we headed out to the local high school to watch kendo and baseball practice. Our host wanted to see his nephew.

Back for a snack and a bath/soak in the onsen then off to the double hanging bridges. First plan was to return by 12:00. Second plan 1:00. Third plan was 5:30.

After visiting the double vine bridges, he said we wouldn't make it back by 5:30 even with his shortcut over the mountains. New friends (people we met on the side of the road) helped by driving.

We ended up running so late that our lodging cancelled our reservation and we had to find another place to stay. Our new friends left and I ended up driving until the very edge of town while our host slept in the back seat. Checked in about 9:30.

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