Chichibu Pilgrimage Circuit

The 34 Kannon Sacred Sites (temples enshrining Kannon Bodhisattva ) scattered in Chichibu City, Yokoze machi, Ogano machi and Minano machi are called “Chichibu Fudasho”(Chichibu Pilgrimage Circuit )”, and are included in the Japan 100 Kannon Pilgrimage along with 33 sites in Saigoku and 33 sites in Bando.

Chichibu Pilgrimage Circuit was started in the Muromachi period (1336-1573) and it became popular among ordinary people in the Edo period (1603-1868). People visited there for their faith as well as for their sightseeing tour.

The pilgrimage route from Shimabuji Temple, the first temple on the list, to Suisenji Temple, the 34th, is about 100 km (about 62.14 miles) long. There is no rule to follow the numbered temples in order, so many pilgrims start from the easiest temple to reach. In the past, it was customary to dedicated ofuda (paper talismans) with one’s profile on it as a token of one’s visit to a temple, but nowadays, Pilgrimage can have the name of the temple and its Shuin (red seal) on their Nokyo-cho (honorable seal book).
Pilgrimage supplies such as Nokyo-cho, walking sticks and Oizuru (the pilgrim's traditional white clothing) are sold at many temples, including the 1st Shimabuji Temple and the 13th Jigenji Temple.

One of the major attractions of the pilgrimage is the opportunity to walk through the natural beauty of Chichibu. In particular, the route from the 20th Iwanoue-do to the 25th Kyusho-ji Temple, called "Nagaone-michi," is very popular.