33 Sekkei-ji

Sekkei-ji is the 33rd temple on the Shikoku Pilgrimage (Shikoku Hachijūhakkasho), a roughly 1,200-kilometre circuit linking 88 Buddhist temples across Shikoku island and one of Japan's most revered spiritual journeys. The temple belongs to the Myōshinji branch of Rinzai Zen Buddhism, a tradition emphasizing rigorous seated meditation and koan practice. Its full ceremonial name combines the mountain designation Go Kōfukuzan with the cloister name Kōfukuin. White-robed pilgrims known as henro pass through year-round, walking in the footsteps of the legendary monk Kūkai (Kōbō Daishi), to whom the entire circuit is dedicated. The site retains the atmosphere of a living place of worship rather than a tourist attraction.