About Byodoji

Byodoji is the 22nd temple of the Shikoku Pilgrimage, founded by Kobo Daishi Kukai in 814 and dedicated to healing the suffering of body and mind without distinction.

Access Visiting Guide

Pilgrimage: Shikoku Temple No. 22
School: Koyasan Shingon
Principal Image: Yakushi Nyorai

The Founding of Byodoji

Its founding legend, devotion to Yakushi Nyorai, and life as a rural pilgrimage temple still form one continuous whole.

To heal the illnesses of body and mind equally and without bias

The vow remembered in the temple name Byodoji

Tradition says Kobo Daishi Kukai practiced here, perceived the form of Yakushi Nyorai, and enshrined that image as the temple's principal Buddha. The temple name Byodoji is tied to the vow to relieve suffering equally.

Today Byodoji welcomes pilgrims from Japan and abroad as the twenty-second stop on the Shikoku pilgrimage, while also serving local parishioners and the everyday rhythm of prayer in Aratano.

Yakushi Nyorai is especially revered here for prayers for healing, protection from illness, and strength in the legs and lower body. The sacred spring linked to Kobo Daishi still flows in the precincts.

Seated statue of Kōbō Daishi — Kōbō Daishi Kūkai, said to have founded this temple

Temple Name, Mountain Name, and Cloister Name

The temple name, mountain name, and temple appellations each carry a piece of Byodoji's prayer and place-memory.

Temple Name

Byodoji

The name comes from the vow to relieve people's suffering equally. The name itself points directly to the temple's spiritual center.

Mountain Name

Hakusuizan

The sacred spring was said to have first flowed milky white, leaving the mountain name 'White Water Mountain' and the continuing memory of Kobo's healing water.

Temple Appellations

Io-in and Nikko-in

Io-in refers to Yakushi as the Healing King, while Nikko-in recalls traditions connected to radiant light and Eleven-faced Kannon. Multiple strands of faith overlap within Byodoji.

Principal Yakushi Nyorai

Enshrined at the center of the main hall, the heart of prayer at Byodoji.

The principal image Yakushi Nyorai in the Main Hall — The principal image surrounded by the Twelve Divine Generals

The principal image, Yakushi Nyorai (the Medicine Buddha), is widely known for prayers to protect against cancer, heal illness, and keep the legs and lower back strong. It is enshrined at the center of the main hall, surrounded by the Twelve Divine Generals.

A five-colored cord runs from the principal image’s hand down to the temple gate. Visitors who cannot climb the stone steps can take the cord and join their hands at the gate; this is the same act of prayer (kechien, a karmic bond) as climbing to the main hall.

The principal image Yakushi Nyorai and the Twelve Divine Generals — The Twelve Divine Generals flanking the principal image

Byodoji Today

Byodoji continues to welcome pilgrims while also receiving the prayers of the local community.

People come here for many reasons: while walking the Shikoku route, to pray for healing and protection, to deepen a parish connection, or simply to sit quietly before the principal image.

In recent years the temple has also made prayer available online through live streaming and remote applications, so that distance, illness, or daily circumstances do not cut people off from worship.

Even with more than twelve centuries of history behind it, Byodoji keeps trying to respond to the person who is praying now. These guide pages are meant to be an easy doorway into that encounter.