Calligraphy and Stamps from the Shikoku 88-Temple Pilgrimage

[P]ilgrims who follow in the footsteps of Kobo Daishi around Shikoku record their journey by collecting these goshuin, single sheets of paper, or in book form (nokyocho), from each of the temples along the way. (Some also have their white pilgrims’ coat (hakue) stamped at each stop). The superb calligraphic rendering of the temple’s name is hand-brushed on the spot by temple priests, their practiced concentration (and long practice) clearly revealed in each brushstroke…

These goshuin were collected by the artist Suzuka Yasu, who documented his island circumambulation with photographs shown here.