The Spiritual in the Mundane: The Poetry of the Shikoku O-Henro Pilgrimage

Abstract

The 1200-kilometre Shikoku Henro no Michi (Pilgrim Way) circles through the mountains and valleys of the island interlinking 88 Buddhist temples. Laid down by Kūkai, better known as Kōbō Dashi, the ninth-century founder of the Shingon Buddhist sect, this is the oldest pilgrimage in Japan. Over the years as pilgrims have travelled this path, they have recorded their experiences in poetry. Framed by historical, philosophical and literary discourse, this chapter examines how that tanka and haiku poetry gives expression to the relationship between the spiritual and the mundane drawing on both physical and emotional landscapes. Show more