Sacred shadowed pathways

This chapter explores how the Shikoku Pilgrimage, a well-known Buddhist journey linking 88 temples across the island of Shikoku, reflects Japan’s deep connections between death, spirituality and cultural tradition. The pilgrimage route passes through landscapes long seen as sacred, where mountains and forests are believed to house spirits of the dead, and where the living seek healing, remembrance and renewal. Along the way, pilgrims encounter memorials, temple rituals and personal stories that bring the themes of impermanence and continuity into focus. Drawing on recent fieldwork and the development of the Virtual Shikoku Pilgrimage project, the chapter also considers how modern pilgrims, both in person and online, engage with the pilgrimage as a space for honouring ancestors, coping with grief and connecting with Japan’s layered spiritual heritage. In this way, the Shikoku Pilgrimage remains not only a living religious tradition but also a powerful site of dark tourism and cultural memory.