63 Kichijō-ji

Kichijō-ji is temple number 63 on the Shikoku Henro, the celebrated Buddhist pilgrimage circuit linking 88 temples across the Japanese island of Shikoku. The temple belongs to the Shingon school — the esoteric branch of Japanese Buddhism founded by the monk Kūkai (Kōbō Daishi, 774–835) and known for its elaborate ritual practices under the name Mikkyō, a tradition directly reflected in the temple's mountain name Go Mikkyōzan. Pilgrims completing the full circuit on foot walk approximately 1,200 kilometers in total; reaching station 63 means they are entering the final stretch of that journey.