#88 （1st Temple） Ryōzen-ji
霊山寺

The first temple of the Shikoku pilgrimage is Ryōzen-ji (霊山寺) — though for me, walking the route in reverse, it was the very last temple of the whole journey, and reaching it meant the end was finally in sight.

Only about 1.2 km separated it from the second temple, and as I covered that short stretch there was a strange mix of anticipation and reluctance. After so many days on the road, part of me wanted to arrive, and part of me did not want it to be over.

This is the entrance to Ryōzen-ji. As the gateway temple of the entire pilgrimage, it has an especially large and splendid main gate — grander, in fact, than the modest size of the grounds behind it might lead you to expect.

Passing under it felt significant in both directions: for most pilgrims it is the very first gate of the journey, while for me it was the last one I would walk through.

This is the main hall, where Shaka Nyorai is enshrined. In the photograph the lighting flattens everything, but inside the hall countless lanterns hang from the ceiling, their small flames receding into the dark in a way that feels genuinely mysterious.

I stood before the altar, offered incense, and recited the Heart Sutra, conscious that by now I had performed the same quiet ritual at every one of the eighty-eight temples.

This is the Daishi-dō, which enshrines a statue of Kōbō Daishi. The Heart Sutra that I had chanted perhaps two hundred times over the course of the pilgrimage was recited here for the very last time.

Standing before the hall, I prayed that the world might be freed from conflict and poverty, and that happiness would somehow reach every person. After so many repetitions, the words no longer felt like a duty but like something settled deep inside me.

There is also a large pond within the precincts, with carp drifting slowly beneath the surface. I lingered beside it for a while, watching the water and letting the calm of the place sink in.

With the walking almost done, there was no need to hurry, and it felt good simply to stand and look.

Ryōzen-ji is a lovely temple to wander through. An old-style arched bridge makes the short walk across the grounds a pleasure, and a pagoda rises over the central garan, the precinct where monks once trained.

For a temple that so many people pass through at the very start of their pilgrimage, it carries its long history lightly and warmly.

NFT – Crypto Ohenro #88 Goshuin of Ryōzen-ji（霊山寺） –

This is the goshuin of the first temple, Ryōzen-ji — the very last seal I would receive, pressed fresh into the final open page.

With this seal, I had finally completed all eighty-eight temples and filled the book from cover to cover.

The pilgrimage was over at last — and, now that it was, I felt a little lonely, the way one does at the end of any long road.