Sasaguri 88-temple pilgrimage

Fudo Waterfall here is considered the birthplace of the Shinoshiro Shikoku Sacred Pilgrimage. In 1835, a Buddhist nun named Jinin, returning from a pilgrimage to the eighty-eight sacred sites of the original Shikoku pilgrimage, stopped by Shinoshiro Village and found it suffering from plague and famine. Jinin secluded herself at this Kido Fudo Waterfall and prayed earnestly to Kobo Daishi (Kukai) for the village's deliverance and peace. Her prayers were answered, and the village was freed from disease and restored to prosperity. Inspired by Jinin's legacy, village elder Fujiki Tosuke, together with local supporters, made a vow to establish eighty-eight sacred sites throughout Shinoshiro Village, recognizing this place as a holy ground where the blessings of Kobo Daishi were manifest. Though Jinin herself passed away before seeing her vision fully realized, sand from the principal temples of the original Shikoku pilgrimage was later brought here, and eighty-eight principal Buddhist statues were enshrined at various locations throughout the village, formally establishing the Shinoshiro Shikoku Sacred Pilgrimage.