{Shikoku Hachijūhachikasho Meguri}

--WALKING--
--PILGRIM'S CLOTHING--

Pilgrim's Clothing
First off, the traditional dress. While you won't have to dress like the henro from Shinnen's Shikoku Henro Michi Shirube to be outfitted correctly, a henro should wear the following:

• Start with a waist-, or thigh-, length light-weight, white, cotton vest. If it has three-quarter length sleeves, like Tom is wearing in the picture below, it is called a hakui. If it is sleevless, it is called an oizuru. In both cases, this represents a henro's burial shroud as traditionally this is what you were buried in if you die while on the trail. The better robes will have Namu Daishi Henjō Kongō written in kanji on the back.

• On the head you wear a henro hat (sugegasa) - a conical-shaped hat made of straw and about 18 in (45 cm) in diameter. Since the quality has gone down over the years, they no longer keep water out so you also need to buy the plastic cover that is made to go over the top of the hat. The hat represents the henro's coffin as it would be laid over the body when it was buried.

  

• Around the neck you wear a cotton or silk scarf (wagesa) about 2 feet long and 3 inches wide (60 cm x 8 cm) and usually purple, orange, or green in color. This is the layman's version of a priest's robe (kesa) and indicates to others that you are on a religious journey.

• A buddhist rosary (juzu or nenju) should be carried for use at the temples. Some people carry it wrapped around one of their wrists throughout the day.

• All henro carry a walking stick (kongō tsue) no matter which other pieces of the outfit they choose to wear. It is even carried by those who wear no other forms of traditional clothing and by those who travel the trail by bus. While you can buy plain, unadorned sticks, the most common will have something written on them (mine had the Heart Sutra). The better, and more expensive walking sticks have a brocade cloth cover over the top handle portion. The most traditional henro will even attach a small bell to the top. The intent of the bell is to keep pulling your attention back to the present; back to reality and what you are doing so that you don't just day dream all day as you walk.

  The walking stick represents Kōbō Daishi so you must take good care of it. When you stop for the night, whether at an inn or not, the first thing you do is wash the bottom of the stick (symbolizing washing the Daishi's feet). After doing that you can take care of yourself. The walking stick should be kept in the tokonoma (if there is one) of your room overnight. The kongō tsue also symbolizes a henro's gravestone as it would traditionally have been placed at the head of the grave if he died and was buried along the trail.

  One other note about the walking stick. It is tradition not to let the walking stick touch the ground whenever you are crossing a bridge. This tradition comes from the fact that Kōbō Daishi was forced to sleep under a bridge one night (see information for Bangai Temple 8) because he couldn't find lodging anywhere else. The Daishi's spirit still sleeps under bridges along the trail, as the story goes, and while crossing those bridges your walking stick will make a lot of noise and disturb him - if you let it touch the ground. On bridges, hold the kongō tsue off the ground.

• In addition to the bell on the handle of your walking stick, many henro, especially those dressed in all the traditional clothing, hang a slightly larger bell on their body as they walk. The most common place is from your belt on your side, but occasionally i see it on the side of someone's pack. The purpose of this bell is the same as the bell on the walking stick. But, it is a little larger and, therefore, a little louder. This should keep you even more focused on what you are doing.

• To hold the book that you use to recite the sutras, your candles, incense, name slips, and the small change used as offerings, you also carry a small white bag called the fuda-basami.

• And, finally, the rest of your clothes should be white.

Of course, there are other items that a completely outfitted henro can carry, but anything in addition to what is listed above seems to be extra. Let me stress, though, that you don't need to carry or wear any of the above to be a henro. What i have listed above is simply what has come down through history as the traditional dress. A i mentioned on the previous page, one of the nice things about this pilgrimage is that there is nothing that is considered right or wrong. Anything you wear can be considered more or less traditional, but not wrong. I wore a light colored hat, but not the henro hat. In 1999 i didn't carry the fuda-basami as i kept everything in my back pack, although starting in 2004 i did carry one. In 1999 i didn't wear a bell on my belt, but i did starting in 2005. When i was on the trail i saw several henro in non-traditional garb, including some in blue jeans.

Just to offer an opinion, however, let me say that i think all henro (yes, i mean all) should carry a walking stick and wear the white hakui. These two items single you out and let everyone know that you are walking the henro trail. Whether you believe me or not, this will affect your pilgrimage as just by having these two items, people will interact with you in a much different manner than if you don't have them. They're fairly cheap — buy them. You won't regret it.