10/10/2025
Some personal reflection on the Shikoku Pilgrimage - series 2
The Origin of Word “遍路Henro”:
辺土Hendo-辺路Henro- 遍路Henro
The word Hendo(辺土) literally refers to “
”remote, desolate(辺)places(土).” This is where the term Henro (遍路) originates.
Some monks who trained in the secluded region of Kumano in Wakayama Prefecture sought even more isolated training grounds. Crossing the sea, they arrived at the Hendo land(辺土:remote and isolated land)—Shikoku. This is why the first temple of the Shikoku Pilgrimage is located in Tokushima. At this stage, Hendo carried no connotation of pilgrimage.
Later, the term “辺路(Heji or Henro) “ emerged. As monks searched for sacred sites in the remote lands(辺土:Hendo) of Shikoku, some began to follow routes connecting these spiritual places. Here, a slight nuance of pilgrimage appeared, as Heji or Henro came to mean "tracing rugged paths to visit sacred sites."
The term Henro (遍路) is believed to have evolved from the earlier form Henro (辺路), where the character” 辺” means “edge” or “border.” In the course of time, this character was replaced with 遍(Hen), meaning “to spread” or “to go around” due to the same sound(hen).
This change is thought to have been inspired by the consecration name of Kūkai (also known as Kōbō Daishi): Henjō Kongō (遍照金剛), meaning “All-Illuminating Vajra.” By adopting the character “遍” from this name, the new writing of Henro(遍路) came to symbolize the belief that Kōbō Daishi’s spiritual light reaches and protects all of Shikoku.
This shift in terminology reflects the rise of a devotional concept known as ”大師一尊化(Daishi Issonka:the belief that all sacred sites on the pilgrimage route are manifestations of Kōbō Daishi himself). “ The adoption of the new term Henro(遍路) thus marked not only a linguistic change, but also a deeper association between the pilgrimage and the spiritual presence of Kūkai.
Photo by Museum of Ehime History and Culture: Pilgrims at Matsuo Pass on the border between Tosa and Iyo in 1910(Meiji43)
