Pilgrimage
a haiku walk on the Kumano Kodo Trail in Japan
In October 2019 a group of writers/artists and I set off on the Kumano Kodo trail on the Kii Peninsular in Japan. For more than 1000 years monks, emperors, merchants, poets, lay people have traveled the same steep mountain paths on a journey of religious pilgrimage. The strenuous nature of the trails allows pilgrims to have a symbolic experience of purification and rebirth while worshipping at the Three Grand Shrines of Kumano: near the beginning: Kumano Hongū Taisha, and at the end: Kumano Nachi Taisha and Kumano Hayatama Taisha.
Even though we didn’t get to complete the grand finale of our walk due to the imminent arrival Typhoon Hagibis, for each of us it was a profound experience, one that we are still reflecting on and processing.
In the pages to come I will present some haiku inspired writing from our poet walkers and artists based on the experiences we had.
Before we arrived on the trail, four of our group visited the the mountain temple town of Koyasan where we stayed at Ekoin temple and attended meditation and fire ceremonies.
And even before that, travelling to Koyasan by bus I was busy jotting…..
breakfast first
then bus
taste of umeboshi
end of summer
every tunnel through the mountains
has a name
above the winding road
bridges leap
mountain to mountain
tiny towns
in every yard
a persimmon tree
up and up we climb
around a smoky bend
chestnuts roasting
© words and photos Jan Cornall 2019
Jan Cornall is a writer and traveller who leads international creativity retreats and journeys in extraordinary places.
This magazine showcases the work of participants in Haiku Walking In Japan 2016 -2019. Read their contributions on other pages of Summer Grass here.
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