Pilgrimage in Shikoku,Japan

私は８歳の時にお袋に手を引かれて四国巡礼をしました。当時　８歳で巡礼をする子供はとても珍しくて行き先々のお寺では可愛がってもらいました。巡礼をした理由は　私は幼い頃は身体が弱くて巡礼をすれば健康になるので、それを女性の高僧から勧められたからです。

お袋と共に１か月ほど全てを徒歩で巡礼をしました。私の家族は皆が信心深いので巡礼をしたこともその理由の一つです。とても不思議な体験をしました。先祖と空海に感謝しています。

私の故郷は飛騨で山奥でしたから海を見るのも初めてで、海から上る太陽や海に沈む太陽の美しさが幼い心に染み入りました。それだけで心身ともに快活になりました。

When I was eight years old, my mother took me by the hand and we made a pilgrimage around Shikoku. At the time, it was very unusual for an eight-year-old to make a pilgrimage, so I was loved at every temple we visited. The reason I made the pilgrimage was because I was physically weak when I was young, and a female high priest recommended that I make a pilgrimage, saying that it would help me become healthy.

I made the pilgrimage on foot with my mother for about a month. One of the reasons we made the pilgrimage was that everyone in my family is religious. It was a very mysterious experience. I am grateful to my ancestors and to Kukai.

My hometown is in Hida, deep in the mountains, so it was my first time seeing the ocean, and the beauty of the sun rising over the sea and setting into the sea touched my young heart. Just that impression made me feel refreshed both physically and mentally.