Chikurin-Ji, Kochi.

Hello!
Well, we’ve made it home. I’ve slept a fair bit and we’ve rested mostly.
And unpacked!
So no excuses now to get on and share the rest of the stories. (And yes, its lovely and almost surreal to be back home after our six week adventure!)

So here we are in Kochi, Shikoku.
Shikoku has a famous pilgrimage where you can walk, cycle, drive, or however you decide around the entire island to visit 88 temples. Its a 1,400km journey and Chikurin Ji is the 31st stop – if you are doing it in order.

This temple was thought to have been established in 724.
Originally I wanted to spend our time in Shikoku by doing part of the pilgrimage but in the end it was just a bit hard to organise – but the thought is there for a dedicated trip in the (far) future.

Again, we enjoyed the peacefulness of being in a place that a billion tourists have yet to discover.

Still no Autumn leaves

We love these bells! Someone rang it while we were there. It rumbles in your soul.

As usual there are a couple of awesome guardians in the entry gate

You can actually do a tour to have a small taste the pilgrim walk … you get dressed in the appropriate clothing and get taken about by a monk and can learn about the ways of the Buddhists and the temples. We saw a group arrive when we were there, presumably on this tour… not the lone man doing the actual pilgrimage in the first photo.
It was all in Japanese, so not for us, but it would have been a fascinating day.

The walk up to the temple was really lovely

Lots of side paths and shrines

And walls…

Boggles my mind to know so much of this has been here for over a thousand years!

And up we go to the main area…lovely steps!

The main figure enshrined there is Monju Bosatsu. (The bodhisattva of wisdom)
This means that a lot of students make their way up here at exam time!

A smaller temple faces the main one

And a pagoda towers over from above

The 31.2-meter-tall pagoda dates from the early Kamakura period (1185-1333). It was rebuilt in 1980. It is made of Japanese cypress, and is the only five-storied pagoda in the prefecture. (Copied from the Tourism Shikoku Web Page)

As with all areas like this, there is a lot of things to see if you can take the time. Seems something different was around each corner.

You see a lot of these around shrines and temples. They are called ‘Ema’
You buy one, write a wish on the back and hang them up and hope the Gods take notice.

Sweet paths wound around ponds and trees

I am no stranger to seeing these kinds of statues with their bibs.
But… I was puzzled by the almost cartoonish cat.

It did make sense when I got around to reading an information board!

That might be hard to read so I’ll type it out:
“Long ago, a cat lover family in Kochi City, Kitamura, raised a cat that had the family name ‘Kita’ appearing on its stomach. Ever since, the Kitamura family has been blessed with prosperity. This fortune cat (the statue) is dedicated to the faithfulness of the Kitamura cat that brought the family good luck”

We all had a really nice time wandering around the temple site

Listening to the chanting monks and enjoying the surrounds

I hope everyone is well!
xx