I like the view of the sunset from the peninsula. View the sunset sinking into the Kii Channel from Shirasaki Marine Park in Yura Town, Wakayama Prefecture. It is said that the Shirasaki Coast predates the birth of human beings. The orange of the setting sun stands out against the white limestone. The mountains of Shikoku and Awaji Island look hazy.
On the beach at Yawatahama, tangerine berries were illuminated by the setting sun. Sada Cape can be seen beyond the tangerine fields. The early winter sky gradually turns scarlet. A landscape that feels the coming of winter.
There is something pathos about port towns. A ferry sets sail from Yawatahama Port in Ehime Prefecture to Usuki Port in Oita Prefecture. A two-and-a-half-hour boat trip across the hoyo Strait with Sada Cape on your right. A national sea route. I will go to Kyushu by ship someday.
I visited Matsuyama Castle for the first time in a while. When I was living in Matsuyama, I went up to Matsuyama Castle every Sunday and saw the sunset at Iyonada. It was clear and sunny that day, and I could see the direction of Gogoshima, Suo Oshima and Sadamisaki, and the light up of Matsuyama-jo Castle reflected in the evening sky.
I walked on a pilgrimage route that had been going on since ancient times in Shikoku and Mt. Koya. I feel lucky to have walked this road which Kobo Daishi and many pilgrims would have followed.
The lovely seasonal flowers I met at fudasho (temples where amulets are collected) and roadsides during my pilgrimage from early summer to mid-summer were very beautiful and healed my tired body and soul. Flowers seem to have a mysterious power. The lotus flower bloomed in many temples as’ a symbol of enlightenment ‘in Buddhism.
While I was on a pilgrimage in Shikoku, I met expressive cats everywhere. The calm atmosphere of the cats I met at parks, fudasho and sando (an approach to the temple) made me feel at ease as I tried to hurry. Now that I think about it, it might have been a message from the Odaishi-sama to “take a rest.”
While making a pilgrimage to Shikoku, Koyasan, Kyoto and Nagoya, I enjoyed great local food and sake. These healed my exhausted body on the pilgrimage and provided me with nourishment and energy for the next day. I would like to introduce to you some of the local foods that supported my pilgrimage with the Kongo walking stick.
In return for the completion vows of the 88 Shikoku sacred sites and the Bekkaku- 20 sacred sites, I visited Okunoin Temple of Mt. Koya and Toji Temple, and visited Osu Kannon Temple in Nagoya to conclude my pilgrimage. Osu kannon Temple is the Bekkaku-honzan (special head temple) of the Chizan school of the Shingon Sect and the principal image is Sho Kannon. I have a special feeling because I used to live nearby and visit the shrine almost every week. When I looked up at the sky after praying, I was surprised to see a very big and beautiful sunset. That seemed to be celebrating the end of my journey. In the evening,I had a meal after the trip. I can enjoy nostalgic dishes and sake at “Daijin”, a long-established izakaya representing Nagoya, and “Shanghai taste”, a Chinese restaurant of Shanghai couple. The next day, I had lunch at “Tenmaya” on Monzen-machi-dori Street, tasted cold kishimen noodles and dengaku, and then went home. I entered Tokushima on May 20, and my 84 days pilgrimage to this day on August 11 was finally finished. I am deeply grateful to the many people who supported me.
It’s time to say goodbye to Shikoku. Since coming to Tokushima from Haneda on May 20, it has been a 76 day walking Henro trip until today, August 3. After visiting 88 sacred places and 20 sacred places of special status, I felt so happy. I’m going to Koyasan and Toji temple for the prayer of thanksgiving. I took an early morning ferry from Tokushima Port and saw the mountains of Shikoku leaving from the deck. Goodbye, Shikoku. Thank you, Shikoku.