27 Kōnomine-ji

Kōnomine-ji is the 27th temple on the Shikoku Pilgrimage, a sacred circuit of 88 Buddhist sites rounding the island of Shikoku that draws tens of thousands of white-robed henro pilgrims each year. The temple belongs to the Buzan branch of Shingon Buddhism and sits in the forested hills of Yasuda, Kōchi Prefecture — its mountain name, Chikurinzan (竹林山), meaning 'Bamboo Forest Mountain', reflects the wooded terrain surrounding the complex. The pilgrimage route traces its origins to the monk Kūkai (Kōbō Daishi, 774–835), founder of Shingon Buddhism in Japan, who is said to accompany every pilgrim in spirit. Arriving here after one of the route's more isolated stretches, visitors encounter incense smoke, weathered stone lanterns, and a stillness characteristic of Shikoku's mountain temples.