18 Onzan-ji

Onzan-ji is the 18th temple on the Shikoku Pilgrimage, an 88-temple circuit on Shikoku island that is one of Japan's most celebrated spiritual journeys. The temple belongs to the Shingon school of Buddhism, a tradition established by the monk Kūkai — known posthumously as Kōbō Daishi — in the early 9th century, who is venerated as the route's founding saint. Pilgrims in white robes and straw hats pass through as one stop on a journey covering roughly 1,200 kilometres in total, typically taking 30 to 60 days on foot. The temple precinct offers incense-filled halls and wooden prayer pavilions characteristic of the Shingon tradition, and can be visited independently by day visitors outside of active pilgrimage groups.