was actually on this pilgrimage — a nine-hundred-mile walk around the island of Shikoku — when I reached this shrine and paused for a ritual cleansing before passing through the main gate. I was so caught up in my plans for the day that I almost missed an image that accurately defined the pilgrimage — both its geography and its spiritual significance.

Kobo-Daishi Pilgrimage

Image ©2001 Karin Muller