88 Okubo-ji

Ōkubo-ji is the 88th and final temple of the Shikoku pilgrimage circuit, Japan's most celebrated Buddhist pilgrimage route spanning roughly 1,200 kilometers across four prefectures. As a Shingon-sect temple, it carries the epithet Kechigan no tera — loosely translated as the 'Temple of Fulfilled Wishes' — marking the point where pilgrims complete their journey after weeks or months of walking in white robes. The completion ritual takes place before the main altar, after which many henro (pilgrims) traditionally travel onward to Kōya-san in Wakayama Prefecture to pay respects to Kōbō Daishi, the founder of Shingon Buddhism. Nestled in mountain forest at the southern edge of Sanuki city in Kagawa Prefecture, the temple grounds carry a particular quiet that reflects its role as an endpoint. For arriving pilgrims, the moment of kechigan is often the most emotionally charged of the entire journey.