Shikoku’s local authorities and henro during the golden age of the pilgrimage

Abstract

This article uses primary historical materials to focus on a topic largely ignored in previous studies of pilgrimage: the relationships between pilgrims and local populations, particularly local officials and authorities. The materials studied here deal with the Shikoku pilgrimage in the latter part of the the Tokugawa Period, and indicate how local officials tried to control the increasing number of pilgrims through the imposition of ous regulations on their travel. On the other hand, however, these same officials undetook certain obligations towards the pilgrims, especially in case of sickness or death. Such institutionalized support may have been equally as important as the spontaneous almsgiving of the local population to pilgrims.