Knowing the History, Walking with Confidence
Today, the Shikoku Pilgrimage is open to everyone. Women can freely visit temples and walk the route without any special restrictions.
However, in Japan’s religious past, many sacred mountains and temples practiced nyonin kinsei—a prohibition on women’s entry. These customs, rooted in ancient mountain worship, once extended to areas surrounding the pilgrimage as well.
What Was Nyonin Kinsei?
Nyonin kinsei (“female prohibition”) refers to the religious custom that forbade women from entering certain temples or sacred mountains. Its origins lay in maintaining monastic discipline, protecting the purity of training spaces, and in older notions of ritual impurity.
In 1872, the Meiji government officially abolished such restrictions, legally opening religious sites to all. From that point onward, women were gradually allowed to participate in pilgrimages nationwide, and improved transportation made the act of pilgrimage more accessible.
Modern scholars now reinterpret nyonin kinsei not merely as a system of exclusion, but as a cultural structure intertwined with ascetic ideals and concepts of sacred space.
Mount Kōya: The Women’s Halls and the Women’s Trail
Mount Kōya—the traditional final destination of the Shikoku Pilgrimage—was once off-limits to women. They could not enter the temple complex and instead prayed at nyonin-dō, “women’s halls,” built at each entrance to the mountain.
A sixteen-kilometer outer ridge path connected these halls, known as the Nyonin-michi (“Women’s Trail”). After the prohibition was lifted in the Meiji era, most of the women’s halls disappeared, yet the hall at Fudōzaka still remains today, preserving the memory of those who once prayed from afar.
Mount Kōya’s transformation—from restricted mountain to open sanctuary—symbolizes the broader modernization of religion and society in Japan.
The Memory of Onzanji: Shikoku’s 18th Temple
The 18th temple of the Shikoku circuit, Onzanji in Tokushima, also carries a legend of female prohibition. It is said that the upper temple area was once closed to women.
According to tradition, when the young monk Kūkai (later Kōbō Daishi) was training there, his mother, Tamayori-gozen, came to visit him. Because of the restriction, she could not ascend the mountain. Kūkai then performed a secret ritual to lift the ban and welcome her.
This story became known as the Legend of Women’s Liberation, and the temple’s name Hōyōzan (“Mountain of Nurturing the Mother”) as well as the Mibokō Teihatsu-sho (“Place Where His Mother Shaved Her Head”) are said to derive from it.
Today, both men and women freely worship there, and the story remains as a quiet reminder of a time when faith and social reality sought harmony.
The Opening of Mount Ishizuchi
Mount Ishizuchi, one of Shikoku’s most sacred peaks, continues to preserve a trace of its ascetic heritage. During the annual Oyama-biraki (Mountain Opening Festival) held on July 1, women traditionally refrain from climbing on that first day.
In the past, the entire festival period was closed to women, but now the restriction lasts only a single day. It is maintained not as discrimination but as a symbolic form of ritual order, honoring the mountain’s centuries-old practice.
The following day, women and men alike may climb and pray together. Nearby, Yokomineji—the 60th temple—stands along the same mountain range, where the traditions of the pilgrimage and mountain worship meet.
Practical Tips for Female Pilgrims Today
The modern Shikoku Pilgrimage is safe and well-prepared for solo or group travelers, including women. To ensure a comfortable journey:
(1) Confirm temple office hours (nōkyōjikan) before planning your route.
(2) Book guesthouses, inns, or temple lodgings in advance.
(3) Complete mountain sections before sunset.
(4) Share your route or location with someone if you are walking alone.
(5) Carry both printed and offline digital maps for areas without signal.
If you plan to visit Mount Kōya or Mount Ishizuchi, check official websites for festival dates, weather, and access updates in advance.
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