Route guide
Buddhist pilgrimage routes in Japan
Japan's Buddhist circuits thread temples into long, legible journeys. The Kannon pilgrimages and the Shikoku henro anchor the route family.
Circuits in the atlas
6 circuits to explore. Each card opens the route guide.
Kantō
Bandō Sanjūsankasho Pilgrimage
Thirty-three temples to Kannon across the eastern plain, a circuit of compassion shaped by twelfth-century warriors and walked still.
33 traditional route stations
Shikoku
Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage
Eighty-eight temples around an island, a circuit walked beside Kūkai across thirteen centuries.
88 traditional route stations
Kansai
Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage
The oldest Kannon circuit in Japan — thirty-three temples across western Honshu, walked since the eighth century.
33 traditional route stations
Kansai
New Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage
A modern Kansai Kannon circuit organized in 1932 to make the old route walkable for working pilgrims.
33 traditional route stations
Kantō
Chichibu 34 Kannon Pilgrimage
Thirty-four temples in a single Saitama valley — the third leg that makes the Hyakkasho complete.
34 traditional route stations
Chūgoku
Chūgoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage
A modern Kannon circuit across western Honshu, established in 1981 to honor temples that lay outside the great medieval routes.
33 traditional route stations
Visitor checklist
For Buddhist pilgrimage routes in Japan. Local rules and custodians take priority.
Pilgrim Map · Buddhist pilgrimage routes in Japan