From the beginning of the text: “Nihon kaikoku rokujurokubu engi” [“Pilgrimage to 66 Sacred Sites”]

At beginning of scroll is a map (440 mm. in length) depicting the 66 province names of Japan, each with a temple, with colored indications of bodies of water requiring boats. Woodblock-printed scroll on paper (250 x 2975 mm.), endpaper at front covered on outside with blue paper with manuscript label: “Hono daijomyoten rokujurokubu ryaku engi” [“Donation of Lotus Sutra to 66 Sacred Places. History”], wooden core roller. At end (in trans.): “Edo. 23 May 1706,” but this may be a later printed edition of an early scroll or manuscript.


In Edo Japan travel restrictions relaxed, allowing the population greater freedom to travel domestically. (truncated) One of the main reasons to travel was to participate in pilgrimages to sacred sites throughout Japan. A number of pilgrimage circuits developed: one of the earliest was the “Japan Tour” or “Japan Pilgrimage,” which included 66 sacred sites, one for each of the 66 provinces of the island nation. The “Japan Tour,” the most popular in the 18th century, “involved the offering of a copy of the Lotus Sutra to major shrines or temples throughout the sixty-six provinces of Japan.”–Shinno Toshikazu, “Journeys, Pilgrimages, Excursions. Religious Travels in the Early Modern Period” in Monumenta Nipponica, Vol. 57, No. 4 (Winter 2002), p. 452 (& see the rest of this fine article, English trans. by Laura Nenzi).


The map at the beginning of our scroll has contemporary hand-coloring: green to indicate bodies of water and the kinds of boats required to cross to adjacent islands and land masses; red to highlight the roadways. The name of each province is printed within circles. Indications of north (on top) and south (on bottom) are given.


Our scroll comprises seven sheets, each numbered in the upper right-hand corner. The map is found on the first sheet. The remaining six sheets contain text describing the background and history of the “Japan Tour” and the sites arranged by region.


In fine condition, preserved in a wooden box. We do not find this in WorldCat. (Inventory #: 9259)