This February and March I will be travelling back to Japan. On this trip, I will be heading south to Shikoku to meet pilgrims on the 1200km, 88 temple trail which has been a formal route since the 9th century and honours the teachings of Kōbō-Daishi the founder of esoteric Buddhism.
Kōbō-Daishi was born at temple 75 in 774AD and died in 835AD and according to legend, mummified himself while in a deep state of meditation, through a practice called sokushinbutsu (即身仏). It is said that he then entered into an eternal samadhi, and is still alive on Mount Kōya, awaiting the appearance of Maitreya, the future Buddha.
I will aim to try and capture both seen and unseen and explore the concept of walking with the dead to honour them. I am also interested in the construction of identity amongst the pilgrims and their personal reasons to undertake this long journey.
To follow my previous postcard offerings from around the world I am offering a handmade, handwritten, personalised postcard from Shikoku on this trip.
The card contains a photographic print of an image made on my journey and is a limited edition of 30 only. Each postcard is handwritten, signed stamped and numbered.
Sale ends 6pm on March 16, 2024 or when sold out.
Sign up for a postcard for just $55 including shipping to anywhere in the world.