🌸 Noire Henro-San: Devil's Land

Temple 25 aka “Temple Illuminating the Port” at the end of a narrow street in Muroto City, Kochi prefecture.

I

n Kochi, it is not unusual to hear of people giving up their pilgrimage. Interestingly, the prefecture is known as “devil’s land” because of its hot temperatures, intense rain, long stages between temples, and sparse contact with the real world.

Many pilgrims come to the realization that they may not finish the walk begun on foot. They leave the trail intending to return and finish their pilgrimage at another time. Some divide the walk over many years.

Walk Your Walk

What makes someone who pondered, decided to walk, then leave the trail? Is it for want of courage, physical or mental strength, stamina, or motivation.? Loneliness? Is it timing? Selfishness or greed? The answer could be all or none of those.

There is no judgement, especially from me. I embrace all of those ideas and more while walking, especially when I am distressed and feel that I am reaching my limit of endurance, understanding, and hope.

Sounds like life, doesn’t it? Each of us has our own understanding. Each of us, if we did not know before, will discover our limits. Our pilgrimage walk is our own design.

The journey, however long, is constantly teaching us what we need to know about ourselves and the world. Whether on the camino in Spain or Shikoku 88 in Japan, your walk is your walk.

For me, it is a walk of a lifetime.

Right now, I am leaving footprints in Kochi prefecture on the Shikoku 88. This is the “ascetic” or second dojo in my ohenro pursuit of nirvana. enlightenment, or myself. This dojo represents a stage of severe self-discipline or strict abstention from daily pleasures.

Oh! I will be thinking about that one!

Let’s stay in the present right now and walk our walk. I will see what is required to get through it as I approach Golden week.

Temple 25 Shinsho-ji

The temple gate is at the end of a narrow street lined with homes and shops.

Almost missed it! Well, if I wasn’t paying attention, I would have walked past this little street.

Continue past this building to another beautiful vermillion structure at the top of steep stone steps.

Temple visitors can climb to the second story. I almost missed (by choice) doing it. Before leaving the temple grounds, however, I climbed up and saw this wonderful bell.

And this glorious vista unfolded of the town below and the ocean:

The main temple building.

This couple was also visiting the temples. I met them a few other times. We finally took this photo together.

Then, they took a photo of me.

Another view from high up of Muroto City in Kochi.

I’m away from the temple grounds now and at a nearby ryokan..

See you next time at temple 26.

Baadaye and Mata ne

Shirley J ♥️

During the spring of 2024, I began a pilgrimage in Japan where I am walking 1200 kilometers or 720 miles on the Shikoku trail from Temple 1 Ryōzenji to Temple 88 Ōkuboji and beyond. Read my original announcement here.

I am excited, and I am here, still walking. And just know this, I will return to tell the tale!