87 Nagao-ji

Nagao-ji is a Shingon Buddhist temple nestled in forested hills on the northern edge of Sanuki city in Kagawa Prefecture, on the island of Shikoku. It serves as the 87th station on the Shikoku Pilgrimage, a sacred circuit of 88 temples associated with the monk Kūkai — founder of Shingon Buddhism — that stretches over 1,200 kilometers in total. Pilgrims, known as henro, traditionally complete the route on foot in white robes symbolizing spiritual openness and readiness for death and rebirth. The temple compound carries the quiet gravitas typical of mountain sanctuaries: moss-covered stone lanterns, incense smoke drifting through cedar trees, and the low chant of sutras. Arriving here means the pilgrim is nearly at the end of the circuit — the final temple, Okuboji, lies just one day's walk away.