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The 1918 Shikoku Pilgrimage of Takamure Itsue: An English translation of Musume Junreiki, Susan Tennant (Bowen Island, B.C.: Bowen Publishing, 2010).
My reading of Takamure' s account of her Shikoku pilgrimage for this review started out as a favor to the translator, Susan Tennant. After reading the first page, curiosity and delight enticed me to discover what each episode of this young Japanese woman's extraordinary journey would reveal. Expecting a travelogue or a detailed description of Buddhist temples in Japan at the end of World War I, I found instead a rich reading experience.
In 1918, Takamure Itsue (family name first followed by the given name, according to Japanese custom) set off at the age of 24 to walk the 1400 kilometer pilgrimage path around one of the four principle islands of Japan, Shikoku. Her goal: to visit the temples skirting the edges of this circular route, each temple having some connection with the venerated teacher...