Having visited the first 23 temples on the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage, my clockwise tour of the island has now brought me into the prefecture of Kochi, home of temples 24-39.  After completing the first phase of pilgrimage, known as the "The Dojo of Awakening Faith" in English, I now find myself confronted with what appears to be on paper, the most difficult of the four.  Appropriately named, "The Dojo of Religious Discipline," phase two requires strong determination to accomplish due to the enormity of Kochi, which covers half the southern part of Shikoku island.  Whether walking or driving, visiting all 16 temples in Kochi requires a lot of time and energy.  This past weekend I got back on the pilgrimage path while on my second overnight trip to Kochi.  Having visited only Chikurinji Temple (#31) on my previous trip to Kochi, this time I was able to add temples 28, 29, 30, 32, and 33, bringing my total number of temples visited on the pilgrimage to 29.
 
No. 31: Chikurinji Temple (The Temple of Bamboo Forest)
Originally built in the 8th century, Chikurinji is located on a hill of Godai-san Mountain, and attracts many visitors due to its panoramic view of the city, its port, and Pacific Ocean.  The temple garden is classified as a National Monument.  The 19 images of Buddhist deities are National Treasures.
 
Note: A map of Shikoku, each black dot represents a temple on the pilgrimage and a picture of Chikurinji.