Gōshō-ji

Gōshō-ji, Shikoku's seventy-eighth temple, stands above old Utazu port with the Seto Ohashi (Great Seto Bridge) distant and three foundational visits spanning more than five centuries. In 725, Gyōki (668–749), the Nara itinerant monk who promoted Buddhist works among ordinary people, carved the fifty-five-centimetre Amida Nyorai honzon and named the site Bukkozan Dōjō-ji.

In 807, Kūkai is said to have carved a self-portrait and vowed against evil spirits, founding the continuing Yakuyoke Utazu Daishi cult for yakudoshi—thirty-three for women and forty-two for men. In 1288, Ippen Shōnin (1239–1289), founder of Ji-shū (Time Sect) Pure Land Buddhism, stayed here and spread nenbutsu odori and fusan, distribution of nembutsu slips. Its preserved Ji-shū lineage makes this the only Ji-shū temple among the Shikoku 88 and uniquely dual-sect.

Matsudaira Yorishige of Takamatsu Domain rebuilt it in 1664 and renamed it to distinguish nearby Dōryū-ji. Pilgrims spend thirty to forty-five minutes chanting the Heart Sutra at Daishi-dō and Namu Amida Butsu at Amida hall, an unusual doubled practice amid an airy sea-facing precinct.

What gives Gōshō-ji its distinct atmosphere is the way the three founding visits accumulate rather than overwrite. Gyōki's Amida remains the honzon. Kūkai's self-image remains the focus of the Yakuyoke Daishi cult. Ippen's nenbutsu odori remains the tradition expressed in the Pure Land elements. The hill site, looking out over the old Utazu port — historically a place where pilgrims, ferrymen, merchants, and ascetics all converged — works as a physical analogue of this stacking.

The thinness here is the absence of compression: tantric self-power and Pure Land other-power, eighth-century state-Buddhism and thirteenth-century itinerant nenbutsu, all rest in one small precinct without forcing reconciliation. Pilgrims often describe the dual liturgy — Heart Sutra at the Daishi-dō, then Namu Amida Butsu at the Amida hall — as a small but real opening.

Founded by Gyōki in 725 as Bukkozan Dōjō-ji, anchored on a fifty-five-centimetre Amida Nyorai he carved during his nationwide travels promoting Buddhist works for ordinary people.

Visited and re-consecrated by Kūkai in 807 with the Yakuyoke Daishi self-image; visited by Ippen in 1288 who introduced the Ji-shū lineage. Rebuilt in 1664 by the Matsudaira lord of Takamatsu and renamed Gōshō-ji. Operates today as a dual-sect (Shingon and Ji-shū) Shikoku 88 temple.

Gōshō-ji is reached from JR Utazu Station with a short walk through the old port town and a modest climb up the hill. The approach narrows then opens into a precinct with broad sea views; the Seto Ohashi (Great Seto Bridge) is visible across the water on clear days. The main hall (Amida-dō) sits at the centre of the precinct; the Daishi-dō and the Yakuyoke Daishi hall stand to one side.

The liturgy here is doubled in a way unusual on the Shikoku route. Pilgrims complete the standard Heart Sutra recitation at the main hall and Daishi-dō. Many also chant the nenbutsu (Namu Amida Butsu) at the Amida hall, following the Pure Land thread of the temple's identity. Pilgrims travelling around the inauspicious year-ages — thirty-three for women, forty-two for men — often add a yakuyoke prayer at the Yakuyoke Daishi hall, requesting protection through the year.

The mix of Shingon liturgy, Pure Land chanting, and yakuyoke devotion produces an atmosphere distinct from the more uniformly Shingon character of the surrounding temples. Many henro linger longer than the typical thirty minutes simply to take in the sea breeze and the doubled rhythm of the visit.

Walk up from Utazu town to the hill precinct. Complete liturgy at the main hall (Amida-dō) and the Daishi-dō. Add a yakuyoke offering at the Yakuyoke Daishi hall if relevant; chant the nenbutsu at the Amida hall to honour the Ji-shū layer.

Gyōki carved a fifty-five-centimetre Amida Nyorai as the founding image in 725, naming the temple Bukkozan Dōjō-ji. Kūkai visited in 807, carved a self-image, and made a vow against evil spirits — the origin of the Yakuyoke Daishi cult. Ippen Shōnin stayed in 1288 and introduced the Ji-shū lineage with its dancing nenbutsu and nenbutsu slips. Each visit added a layer without displacing the prior one. The Matsudaira lord rebuilt the temple in 1664 and renamed it Gōshō-ji.

Dual sectarian identity — Shingon Buddhism (Shikoku Henro liturgy and Yakuyoke Daishi cult) and Ji-shū (Time Sect, Pure Land Buddhism). The only Ji-shū-affiliated temple among the Shikoku 88.

At the main hall (Amida-dō): bell, candle, three incense sticks, osamefuda, coin, Heart Sutra. Repeat at the Daishi-dō. Add nenbutsu (Namu Amida Butsu) at the Amida hall to honour the Pure Land lineage. Yakuyoke prayers at the Yakuyoke Daishi hall, particularly during yakudoshi years.

Daily worship and pilgrim reception. Periodic yakuyoke ceremonies. The Yakuyoke Daishi is the focus of New Year and seasonal devotions for those entering inauspicious year-ages.

Plan thirty to forty-five minutes. Try the dual liturgy — Heart Sutra and nenbutsu — at the appropriate halls. If entering a yakudoshi year, add a yakuyoke offering. Take time at the precinct edge to look out over the Seto Inland Sea.

Gōshō-ji's three-layered history invites readings that range from documentary to ecumenical to mystical; each captures part of the site without exhausting it.

Films, episodes, and recorded talks for visitors who want more context before or after a visit. Speculative and alternative-history entries are labelled as perspectives, not as sources for established claims.

Continue through the atlas by country, tradition, physical form, or a focused search that combines this place’s strongest context.

Explore other sacred places in the region. Proximity does not establish access or travel time; check each place’s guidance.

Tennō-ji

Sakaide, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan

5.4 km away

Dōryū-ji

Tadotsu, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan

6.6 km away

Konzō-ji

Zentsūji, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan

7.5 km away

Kōyama-ji

Zentsūji, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan

9.8 km away

Sources consulted for this page. Source categories describe the publication, not a guarantee that every claim is verified. Traditional accounts and outside interpretations may differ.

1. 01Bukkozan Kotokuin Goshoji – Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage — Shikoku 88 Temple ReijokaiofficialOfficial temple-association entry.
2. 02The 78th Temple Goshoji Temple — Sanuki History & Culture GuideguideDetailed history including Ippen Shonin's 1288 visit.
3. 03Goshoji – Utazu, Kagawa Prefecture — Henro.orgguidePilgrim community reference.
4. 04Customs and Etiquette of the Shikoku Pilgrimage — Henro.orgguideEtiquette and visiting hours.
5. 05Goshoji Temple, Temple No. 78 — Shikoku Pilgrimage NewsguideVisitor info and tradition.
6. 06The Goshoji temple and the Yakuyoke Utazu Daishi — Life TakamatsublogLocal English-language detail on the Yakuyoke (evil-warding) Daishi.
7. 07Ippen — Wikipedia contributorsencyclopediaBiography of Ippen and the Ji-shū.