The is a wooden staff carried by ''
yamabushi
are Japanese mountain ascetic hermits. They are generally part of the syncretic religion, which includes Tantric Buddhist, Shinto, and Japanese Taoist elements.
Their origins can be traced back to the solitary Yama-bito and some (saints or ho ...
'' and pilgrims on the
Shikoku Pilgrimage
The or is a multi-site pilgrimage of 88 temples associated with the Buddhist monk Kūkai (''Kōbō Daishi'') on the island of Shikoku, Japan. A popular and distinctive feature of the island's cultural landscape, and with a long histor ...
in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
. The ''kongō-zue'' is said to represent the body of
Kūkai
Kūkai (; 27 July 774 – 22 April 835Kūkai was born in 774, the 5th year of the Hōki era; his exact date of birth was designated as the fifteenth day of the sixth month of the Japanese lunar calendar, some 400 years later, by the Shingon sec ...
and to support the pilgrim along the way; as such it is treated with respect, having its "feet" washed and being brought inside at the end of each day's journey.
It is inscribed with the chant ''Namu-Daishi-Henjō-Kongō'' and ''Dōgyō-Ninin'' or "We two pilgrims together".
By another tradition it is carried aloft when crossing a bridge so that it does not touch the ground and wake Kōbō Daishi.
Pilgrims leave their ''kongō-zue'' at
Ōkubo-ji
is a Shingon temple in Sanuki, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is Temple 88 on the Shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage. Pilgrims leave their kongō-zue at the temple when completing the circuit. The Ōkubo-ji temple bell and pilgrim bells have been sel ...
, the final temple, upon completion of the circuit.
There is an occasional funerary practice in
Shikoku
is the smallest of the four main islands of Japan. It is long and between wide. It has a population of 3.8 million (, 3.1%). It is south of Honshu and northeast of Kyushu. Shikoku's ancient names include ''Iyo-no-futana-shima'' (), '' ...
and other parts of Japan whereby the decedent is dressed as a pilgrim and placed in the casket along with a staff and pilgrim's stamp book (''nōkyōchō'') for their final journey.
See also
Oizuru (garment)
Oizuru is one of the sacred garments of the traditional dress of Japanese pilgrims.
Relevance and use
Oizuru is the one of essentials of the Pilgrims. It is a simple outer garment. The shape of the garment is similar to a white coat or a jack ...
is one of the sacred garments of the traditional
dress
A dress (also known as a frock or a gown) is a garment traditionally worn by women or girls consisting of a skirt with an attached bodice (or a matching bodice giving the effect of a one-piece garment). It consists of a top piece that covers ...
of
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
pilgrims.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kongo-zue
Buddhist pilgrimage sites in Japan
Walking