Junrei
Practices巡礼 ・ Reading: junrei
Definition
Circuits and how they work
Japanese pilgrimage typically follows a fixed circuit of numbered temples or shrines called fudasho, stations. The most famous is the Shikoku 88, a roughly 1,200 kilometer loop around Shikoku island in the footsteps of Kūkai, walked by white-clad pilgrims called henro. The Saigoku 33 Kannon circuit of western Japan is even older, visiting thirty-three temples of the bodhisattva Kannon, and the Kumano Kōdō mountain trails carried emperors and commoners alike to the great shrines of Kumano. At each station the pilgrim prays, offers a sutra or a small donation, and receives a stamped, hand-lettered record in a book called a nōkyōchō.
Pilgrimage today
Modern pilgrims walk, cycle, drive, or ride tour buses, and many complete a circuit in sections over years. The custom of collecting a stamp at every numbered temple grew into the goshuin collecting now practiced at nearly every shrine and temple in Japan, so every goshuinchō is, in a sense, a small pilgrimage book.
Common questions
- What is a henro?
A pilgrim on the Shikoku 88 circuit, traditionally dressed in white with a sedge hat and staff. Locals often offer henro small gifts called osettai, a custom of supporting pilgrims.
- Do I have to visit the temples in order?
No. Circuits can be walked in order, in reverse, or in sections over many trips. Completing every station, however long it takes, is what counts as finishing the pilgrimage.
- How is junrei different from ordinary goshuin collecting?
A junrei follows a fixed, numbered circuit with a shared devotional goal, often recorded in a dedicated book. Everyday goshuin collecting is its modern descendant, free of any set route.