How about we resume our Shikoku Pilgrimage?
I left you at Konsen-ji and it was a little while ago, right?
So today, I’m bringing you to the fourth temple of the Shikoku Henro, that is Dainichi-ji (大日寺 – The Temple of the Big Sun – or is it the Big Day ?).
Located five kilometers west from its predecessor, it is the first “rural” temple of the pilgrimage. The city.. well, with 14,000 people living in a somewhat spread-out area, I’m not sure if we can consider Itano a city…
So… The town is not too far away, but the temple is just remote enough from constructed areas that it feels like it’s in the middle of nowhere, even if it’s not.
I don’t really have that much to say about it. It’s one of those small temples without much of a history (or one that’s not really known) as you will find on the Henro trail. Yes, if you thought all 88 temples were impressive and exceptional, let me tell you right away: not all of them are. There are also a bunch of very simple temples with nothing particular to them. That doesn’t mean that they’re not worth a visit though. Dainichi-ji is one of those.
To finish, the temple’s nokyo and miei:
Next stop: Jizo-ji!