[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.
The first of these records the date of commencement of the pilgrimage. The temples are numbered by their order along the route.
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Recipient of the Commissioner’s Award of the Japanese Cultural Affairs Agency 2013
in Kyoto, Japan.