Shikoku Pilgrimage Part 5 - The Oldest Stretch on the Shikoku Pilgrimage

What?
The Shikoku Pilgrimage or Shikoku Henro (四国遍路) crosses the whole island, passing 88 temples, just as it is told that Kobo Daishi (弘法大師), the founder of Shingon Buddhism did. The local Economic Research Institute continues to try connecting the pilgrimage to other local touristic attractions and to make it more accessible for foreign tourists. Just like last year I was invited to test a route, this time route 3: Mountain Temple and Coastal View Walking Course, spanning from temple nr. 19 (Tatsueji 立江寺) to nr. 23 (Yakuoji 薬王寺). The second day would take me along the Kamo Route (加茂道), the oldest stretch on the Shikoku Pilgrimage – to temple nr. 21 (Tairyuji 太龍寺) at a height of a little over 500m. From there the walk continues on unpaved stretches through forests and small towns to temple nr.22 (Byodoji 平等時).
Where?
For my second experience with the Shikoku Pilgrimage, I would stay in Tokushuma Prefecture (徳島県). My starting point in Kamodani can be reached by taking the bus on the Kamodani Line from Anan Station (阿南駅) on the JR Mugi Line to the Chuobashi-minami (中央橋南) bus stop. My ending point Byodoji is a 30 minute walk from Aratano Station (新野駅) on the same JR Mugi Line.
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Shikoku Trail

I got out the absolutely gorgeous hotel and was surprised that it was raining ever so lightly. I started to fear for a horrible start of the day. Because while my hotel was beyond all expectations, it was also quite far away from the pilgrimage route. Should I be walking again for two hours on a national road?!

Not even close to that. My first stop for the day had nothing to do with the pilgrimage. The Omatsu Daigongen Shrine (お松大権現) is dedicated to cats and was established after a rather gruesome tale. However gruesome the reason for its erection, at this point in time the shrine only emanates cuteness. More than 10,000 tiny, small, regular sized and rather big cat statues decorate the shrine. On top of that there are the usual deity statues that you find in a shrines and temples, only here they are cat shaped. And of course, what is a cat shrine without a real cat?
Despite the early hour and the remote location there were already quite some visitors. I decided to leave the cats behind me and concentrate on walking.

My fear of a horribly boring concrete road walk ebbed away quickly. I would be taking the Kamo trail towards temple nr.20 Tairyuji. Apparently, this trail was the original route of the pilgrimage, but fell in disuse after a shortcut was made. Locals have cleared the path again though, and now I was walking on the oldest stretch of the Shikoku Pilgrimage.
And it feels old. Honestly, it also feels a bit in disuse despite its good condition. I didn’t see any hiker or pilgrim. I didn’t hear any noise coming from civilization. I didn’t see any marks that there used to be civilization along this trail, like tubes or cables, or even garbage. And strangest of all, there were barely any jizo statues to guide me along the way.
And all that (apart from the lack of jizo statues) is exactly what I was looking for. This stretch is the best part of the Shikoku Pilgrimage that I have walked until now.
The high bamboo trees creaking in the wind and hitting each other scared me. Just like the monkeys that made some scary noises after they first fled from me. Some deer that saw me also decided to get quickly out of my way. And then there was that eerie passage with a monocultural cedar tree forest to the right of me and a pristine patch of wood to the left of me.
I was loving this.

And that wasn’t the end of it. When the trail ended, one of the gates of the Tairyuji temple suddenly loomed big in front of me. The open space, the icy winds… this is what the whole pilgrimage should be like. A slip in time and a spiritual environment to get lost in.
The temple grounds itself are big and with the usual buildings, except that they again feel bigger than those of other temples.
I only spent a short time at the temple, because the nearby ropeway had just unloaded a group of pilgrims. That’s the only pity about this place; the ropeway is big and a bit noisy.
A little further towards the top of the mountain sits a statue of Kukai on a cliff. The view from here is absolutely amazing, but also here the cable car spoils things a little bit. I didn’t let it bother me though and enjoyed the breathtaking panorama before my eyes. The light rain had stopped a long time ago and now clear skies were the deal.
From the other side of the ridge the cable car did give an extra cachet to the view from Yamasakimori, a strange sculpture only some 20 meters away from sitting Kukai.

Begging for money, it seems to me.

Detail at the Kamo Trail.

Am I the only one who thinks this is eerie?

The gate of Tairyuji suddenly looming in front of me.

From here on the path would go down. The descent wasn’t what I expected though. A long, comfortable and slowly declining ridge hike suddenly turned into what feels like a steep fall down. I’m not a gifted descender and it was here that I noticed my back injury again that bothered me the day before.
But the fall down ended as suddenly as it has begun. The trail started showing signs of life – first by abandoned paddies and greenhouses, then by maintained orchards and the occasional farm. I also started hearing cars, instilling “national road fear” in me again.
But the path would only cross it. The last stretch towards temple nr.22 Byodoji made again use of a pass over a hill and through the forest. It was short but I was glad when I got through it. Leaving the forest into a rural community always gives me great satisfaction for some reason. Cowsheds, greenhouses, flower fields, … just lovely. From here it would be around 2 km through a sleepy town to Byodoji, also my end station for the day.

Not a single time was I bored or did I feel the hike should be over quickly. No national roads, no overcrowded spaces, just a perfect route and a perfect day for a pilgrimage.

Shikoku Pilgrimage Part 1 - Iyo-Mishima to the Foot of Mount Unpenji
Shikoku Pilgrimage Part 2 - Heading for Kanonji
Shikoku Pilgrimage Part 3 - Six Temples in One Day

Shikoku Pilgrimage Part 4 - Going Into the Mountains
Shikoku Pilgrimage Part 5 - The Oldest Stretch on the Shikoku Pilgrimage
Shikoku Pilgrimage Part 6 - Following the Shoreline to Yakuoji