Pilgrimages

[Gabi Greve]

Pilgrimages were a great excuse for the folks in the Edo period (Basho, Issa ...) to take a trip.

There are famous pilgrimages to 88 temples in Shikoku (henro) with thousands of "Henro Haiku".
All the temples have a haiku box where pilgrims can drop their haiku, which will be published in the monthly temple magazine.

I have started to translate some.

http://worldkigo2005.blogspot.com/2006/04/pilgrimage-henro-05.html

Even in my mountain village we have an abbreviated course of these 88 temples and the farmers take two days March 27 / 28 to walk it, along with mountain ascetics blowing the conch and prayers at each station (my own home is Nr. 63 in the circuit).

Pilgrimages to the 33 incarnations (and temples) of Kannon Bosatsu are also quite famous.
The circuit in Kanto with 33, Saikoku (Western Japan) with 33 and Chichibu (near Tokyo) with 34 make it a full 100 temples to visit and write haiku about it.

o o o o o

Pilgrimages to Shinto temples are also popular, some are kigo

Ise Shrine Pilgrimage, O-Ise-Mairi, Ise Mairi 伊勢参り

Konpira Shrine Pilgrimage, Konpira Mairi 琴平参り

More is here
http://wkdfestivalsaijiki.blogspot.com/2007/08/pilgrimage-to-kyoto.html


無縁仏　　遍路の顔も　石に消え



graves of the unknown -
pilgrims faces faded
into stone

http://happyhaiku.blogspot.com/2005/06/henro-pilgrims.html

Muenbotoke -The dead without any connection, many died on a pilgrimage.


Do you have any pilgrimages in your region, and haiku to share about it?

Gabi

[martin gottlieb cohen]

unknown graves
in the morning rain
pilgrims' faces