Located within Temple No.6 Anrakuji Anraku-ji Temple Lodging

The story of this place

400 years since Kobo Daishi discovered the hot spring. The history of “Ekiroji”, designated by the domain, has been passed down.

Anraku-ji, Temple No. 6 of the Shikoku Pilgrimage, is located in Itano District, Tokushima Prefecture. Its history dates back to when Kobo Daishi (Kukai) discovered the hot spring here during his practice in Shikoku in the Heian Period. Since the hot spring water miraculously cured all diseases, Daishi enshrined Yakushi Nyorai, who saves people from illness, as the principal image and named the temple “Onsen-zan (hot spring mountain)”, a rare temple name in Japan.

In the Azuchi-Momoyama Period, Hachisuka Iemasa, the founder of the Tokushima Domain, designated Anraku-ji as an “Ekiroji”, a lodging for pilgrims and travelers. There were few proper lodgings at that time, the temple also served as a base for maintaining security in the region.

For over 400 years since then, Anraku-ji temple lodging has been popular as “the first temple lodging of the Shikoku Pilgrimage”, warmly welcoming pilgrims setting out on a long journey and providing food and the hot spring for relaxation. Even though times have changed and the purposes of visits have diversified, the core spirit of Daishi has been passed down by past head priests.

Pilgrimage is not something that binds you; it is something free. As Kukai taught, “To the eyes of a great teacher, even grass on the street can become a precious medicine to save people.” We hope you will feel these teachings for yourself through your stay at the temple lodging.

The Head Priest’s thoughts and philosophy

It has been 20 years since I graduated from a university in Mount Koya and became a monk. For generations, this temple has been authorized as a missionary temple of Mount Koya and has made it its mission to teach the spirit of Daishi to pilgrims staying at the temple lodging. I do not want them to simply visit temples like a stamp rally, but instead I want them to have a precious opportunity to learn about the teachings. However, times have changed. We must continue trying something new to preserve the history as a temple lodging and past head priests’ thoughts that have been passed down for over 400 years and to pass this tradition on to the future. The introduction of QR codes for multilingual support, posting on social media, and “experiential practices", which have gained popularity, are examples of our efforts.

The purpose of the Pilgrimage used to be mainly memorial services and prayers. Today, however, I feel that many pilgrims walk for “a journey of self-discovery” regardless of whether they are Japanese or international pilgrims. Actually, there is no rule that pilgrims have to start from Temple No. 1 in order, and the Pilgrimage is very flexible, allowing pilgrims to start from any temple. Going around Shikoku itself represents a state of enlightenment. Walking the long distance of 1200km encourages pilgrims to think more deeply than usual and gives time to reflect on themselves. It may be similar to the process of the 49-day memorial service, during which people face the grief of losing someone important and gradually come to accept the loss.

There is a saying in Daishi’s teachings: ”To the eyes of a great doctor, everything one encounters is medicine.” For such a doctor, even grass on the street can become a precious medicine to save people. In other words, nothing should be disregarded and the potential of every person is equally precious. In Buddhism, there is a teaching called the “Middle Way”, which steers clear of both sensual indulgence and asceticism. It is very difficult to be “moderate”, and it is impossible to understand the Middle Way without experiencing many things. When people feel lost in life in today’s complex, AI-driven society, I hope that walking around Shikoku by oneself and experiencing Buddhist teachings and the warmth of people can provide a hint for opening a new chapter in life.

A unique “experiential” temple lodging where you can savor Buddhist art and an extraordinary atmosphere with all your senses.

”Evening practices” that immerse you in the world of Buddhism with five senses.

A stay at Anraku-ji temple lodging is not just a stay, but an "extraordinary experience”. During the evening practices held after dinner, you first join a Buddhist sutra in the main hall, then proceed together to the inner sanctuary, where you experience a lantern-floating ritual. You tie papers with your ancestors’ posthumous names to branches of a camphor tree and write your wishes on gomagi wooden prayer sticks, which are then offered into the fire. This series of rituals draws you into a deep spiritual world, like a calming experience.

An overwhelming collection of Buddhist art up close

The temple buildings and grounds also have an overwhelming collection of Buddhist art. Dynamic Nio guardian statues crafted by Myokei Matsumoto, one of Japan’s leading Buddhist sculptors, and more than 60 wooden and stone Buddha statues that can be viewed up close. captivate all who see them. In addition, we have various cultural treasures such as a replica of calligraphy handwritten by Kobo Daishi (Kukai) in his twenties, his famous maxi—”Do not speak of others’ shortcomings nor boast of your own virtues”— and historical memorial tablets associated with the Hachisuka Family, the ruling clan of the Tokushima Domain. These cultural treasures, scattered throughout the temple, can be fully appreciated only through a stay.

“Kobo’s hot spring”, which has been flowing for over 1200 years

Since many pilgrims stay here on the first day of their journey, we provide in our large communal bath the sacred hot spring: “Kobo no Yu”, which is said to have been discovered by Kobo Daishi, to prepare pilgrims both mentally and physically for a long journey. We hope that this hot spring, said to be effective for nerve pain or muscle pain, will ease your fatigue from the journey and help you regain your energy for the following day.