Journey in Kanto region
I’d like to guide you to Bando thirty-three Kannon Temple pilgrimage.
The pilgrimage is the journey to thirty-three temples in the Kanto region. The distance is about one thousand three hundred kilometers or eight hundred miles.
The temples are located extensively throughout the Kanto region. For example, Chuzenji Temple is in the north Tochigi Prefecture area, the others are in the south and east of the Chiba prefecture, and in Odawara city in the west of Kanagawa Prefecture. Some of the temples are very popular such as Hase Temple in Kamakura city and Sensoji Temple in Tokyo.
There are several ways to make the pilgrimage. You can complete the pilgrimage by one-day excursions for about ten days or around ten days at one time. I recommend you take the bus tour in any case. You can visit the temples in any order you like after starting at Sugimoto Temple in Kamakura city.
In Japan Bando has thirty-three temples, Chichibu has thirty –four temples, and the Saigoku thirty –three temples are called the hundred Kannon Temples.
The Bando pilgrimage started in the Kamakura period in the 12th century. Originally the warriors went on the pilgrimage and it became popular among the commoners.
People make a wish and complete the pilgrimage. It is said that after that Kannon or the deity of Mercy makes our wish come true.
At the temples, you are supposed to wear the appropriate costume such as the straw hat, white wear, and a collar called “Wagesa” and bring a bracelet and a wooden stick.
When you worship, you read the sutra called “Hannyashingyo”. And then you can get the stamp called “Gosyuin” at each temple as proof or worshipping or your trip memories.
At last you will feel a great accomplishment.
Why don’t you try the other pilgrimages such as Saigoku thirty-three temples, Chichibu thirty-four temples, and Shikoku eighty-eight temples.
坂東三十三観音霊場を通して１都六県をじっくり巡る旅をご案内します。
坂東三十三観音霊場は、３３か所の寺を巡る全行程約１３００ｋｍの旅です。北は栃木県日光市、南は千葉県館山市、東は銚子市、西は金川兼小田原市と広範囲に点在します。またこの中には鎌倉の長谷寺や東京の浅草寺などの有名なお寺もあります。巡り方は日帰りで何回か行くか、１０日間程度ですべてを行く方法があり、どちらもバスツアーを利用するのが便利です。巡り方の順番に決まりがないのが特徴です。
坂東３３箇所霊場と、西国３３所、秩父３４か所を合わせ日本百観音霊場と言われています。坂東の巡礼は鎌倉時代に始まり、元々は武士が巡礼をしていましたが、そののちに一般の人々にも広まったと言われています。
巡礼する前に願いごとをすると、すべて巡り終わったときに観音様のご慈悲により願いが叶うとされています。格好は、菅笠をかぶり、白衣を着て、輪袈裟といわれる細い襟を首に巻き、数珠と金剛杖を持ちます。お参りの際は般若心経を読みます。各寺で発行している御朱印は寺を訪れた証になり旅の記念にもなります。
巡礼の旅が終わったら、きっと素晴らしい達成感をあじわえるでしょう。
坂東３３か所が終わったら、西国３３か所、秩父３４か所、四国８８か所も巡ってはいかがでしょうか。