A son who could no longer walk, and a father who tried to keep his life moving forward. The hakoguruma dedicated at Byodoji tells their story of prayer.
What Is a Hakoguruma?
Among the six surviving hakoguruma on the Shikoku pilgrimage route, this page follows the one dedicated at Byodoji.
Even now, hakoguruma remain quietly along the route of the Shikoku 88 pilgrimage. Three are preserved at Byodoji, and one each at Eifukuji, Daihoji, and Okuboji. They are tools that still carry the memory of prayer across time.
A hakoguruma is a wooden cart built so that a person can lie inside while someone else pulls or pushes it forward. It has something in common with a modern wheelchair, but each one also carries a very personal story of hope and petition.
Here we focus on the hakoguruma dedicated in the main hall of Byodoji by Tsutsui Rinnosuke and trace the journey shared by father and son.
Tsutsui Rinnosuke and His Father, Fukuji
A record of a father and son making the Shikoku pilgrimage with the cart Fukuji built.
The hakoguruma preserved at Byodoji
The Hakoguruma at Byodoji
At first glance, the hakoguruma preserved at Byodoji looks like an old wooden box. But in its worn grain is the prayer of Tsutsui Rinnosuke, a blacksmith from Tosa Jizojimura, and of his father Fukuji, etched there in 1923.
It originally had three wheels and was built so that Rinnosuke could continue the Shikoku pilgrimage while lying inside it. It became the vessel that carried a family's hope.
Rinnosuke Falls Ill
In 1921, when he was thirty-one, Rinnosuke was struck by a spinal illness. Paralysis spread through his lower body and then further upward. His father Fukuji sought out doctors and every treatment he could find, but the condition only deepened.
Fukuji then used everything he had as both a blacksmith and a father to build a hakoguruma in which his son could lie. Starting from Kiyotakiji, temple thirty-five, the two began their pilgrimage together.
A Father's Resolve
There is nothing left now but to entrust ourselves to Kobo Daishi.
Photograph: the hakoguruma when it still had its wheels from an old photograph preserved at the temple
What Happened at Byodoji
In October 1923, after moving through Ehime, Kagawa, and Tokushima, father and son arrived at Byodoji, temple twenty-two of the pilgrimage. They stayed for four weeks, drank the sacred water associated with Kobo Daishi, and received prayer and blessing from the chief priest of the time, Taniguchi Shinryo.
Little by little, sensation is said to have returned to Rinnosuke's body, until at last he could stand with the help of a kongozue staff. In deep gratitude, the two dedicated the hakoguruma that had sustained his life to Yakushi Nyorai, the principal Buddha of Byodoji.
Photograph: Rinnosuke standing again with Chief Priest Taniguchi Shinryo
A Prayer Still Told Today
In recent years, mistaken stories about hakoguruma have sometimes circulated. But the hakoguruma preserved at Byodoji was not a device for abandoning the unwanted. It is the record of a father and son who refused to surrender hope.
Other Hakoguruma
Byodoji is not the only temple where hakoguruma remain on the Shikoku route.
At Daihoji, Eifukuji, and Okuboji, hakoguruma with different backgrounds are also preserved. Each one carries its own memory of pilgrimage and prayer.
In the spirit of the hakoguruma account, we pray for healthy legs and a healthy lower back.
The hakoguruma preserved at Byodoji carries the prayer of Rinnosuke, who could no longer walk, and of his father Fukuji, who sustained him. Byodoji continues to hold prayers for healthy legs and the lower back alongside this account.
New Healthy Legs and Back Amulet
This green amulet is offered with prayers for healthy legs and a healthy lower back. It is a new addition at Byodoji.
Healthy Legs and Back Amulet (offering: ¥1,000)
Apply from This Page
At the next morning service, the priest will read your name and the prayer intention for healthy legs and lower back, then send one amulet.
The application opens with a ¥500 prayer and one ¥1,000 amulet already selected.
Prayer and amulets are not a substitute for medical care or treatment. If you have pain or illness, please continue appropriate diagnosis and treatment with a medical professional.
Other Ways to Apply
Apply by phone 0884-36-3522 Reception hours: 8:00-17:00
