Shiromine-ji Temple

Overview

Shiromine-ji (白峯寺, しろみねじ) is a Buddhist temple of the Omuro School of Shingon Buddhism, situated on the slopes of Mt. Shiramine at an elevation of approximately 271 meters within the Goshikidai highlands in Sakaide, Kagawa Prefecture. The temple's formal mountain name is Ryōshōzan, and its institutional name is Dōrinin. Its principal deity is Senju Kannon Bosatsu, the Thousand-armed Kannon, and its mantra is "Om, Bajara Tarama Kiriku."

The temple serves as the 81st station on the Shikoku 88-Temple Pilgrimage, a circuit of sacred sites across the island of Shikoku. It follows Sanuki Kokubun-ji Temple (Temple 80) and is followed by Negoro-ji Temple (Temple 82). The temple's pilgrimage verse reads: "Amidst the temple grounds—cold with frost and white with dew—resound the voices chanting the sacred Name."

History

Shiromine-ji was founded in the year 860, during the Jōgan era (貞観) of the Heian period (794–1185). The temple's establishment is tied to the imperial court's religious practices of the time, when mountain temples dedicated to esoteric Buddhist rites were being founded across Japan.

The temple's history is closely bound to Emperor Sutoku, whose personal devotional image of Juichimen Kannon (Eleven-faced Kannon) is preserved at the temple. The emperor's connection to the site made Shiromine-ji a place of imperial significance, and the temple grounds include a shrine to Shiramine Daigongen Sagamibō, reflecting the syncretic blending of Buddhist and native Japanese religious traditions that characterised the period.

What Stands There Today

The temple complex includes a main hall housing the principal deity Senju Kannon Bosatsu, as well as an inner sanctuary dedicated to Bishamonten, one of the Four Heavenly Kings. The temple also preserves the personal devotional image of Emperor Sutoku, the Juichimen Kannon, which remains an object of veneration.

Pilgrims visiting Shiromine-ji receive the temple's nōkyō-in, the red ink stamps collected in pilgrimage books as proof of visitation. The temple offers several seals: one for the principal deity, one for Bishamonten at the inner sanctuary, one for the Juichimen Kannon associated with Emperor Sutoku, one for Shiramine Daigongen Sagamibō, and the "Great Wish Fulfilled" seal that marks the completion of the pilgrimage. The reception hours for these seals are 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM.

The Name in Japanese

The temple's name is written 白峯寺 in Japanese, read しろみねじ in kana, and romanised as Shiromine-ji.

The name breaks down into three characters:

• 白 (しろ, shiro) — meaning "white." This character refers to the white appearance of the mountain, which is the temple's namesake. The character combines the shape of a flame with a horizontal line, originally depicting the brightness of the sun or a flame.

• 峯 (みね, mine) — meaning "peak" or "mountain summit." This character is a variant of 峰, and it depicts a mountain (山) combined with a component indicating a pointed or sharp form. It appears here in its on-reading form within the compound, though the word mine is the native Japanese reading.

• 寺 (じ, ji) — meaning "temple." This character originally referred to a government office in ancient China before coming to mean a Buddhist temple. It is the standard suffix for temple names in Japan, appearing in countless names such as Kiyomizu-dera, Tōdai-ji, and the other temples of the Shikoku pilgrimage.

The full name, 白峯寺, thus means "White Peak Temple," referring to Mt. Shiramine, the mountain on whose slopes the temple stands. The reading Shiromine combines the kun-readings of the first two characters, while ji is the on-reading of the third.

Visiting and Context

Shiromine-ji is located in Sakaide, a city on the northern coast of Kagawa Prefecture facing the Seto Inland Sea. The temple sits within the Goshikidai highlands, a tableland that rises above the coastal plain, and reaching the temple involves an ascent of the mountain slopes.

As Temple 81 of the Shikoku 88-Temple Pilgrimage, Shiromine-ji occupies a position near the end of the traditional circuit. Pilgrims who have completed the preceding 80 temples arrive here having travelled the length of Shikoku, and the temple's position on the mountain offers views over the surrounding landscape. The temple's "Great Wish Fulfilled" seal, marking the completion of the pilgrimage, reflects the significance of this late stage of the journey.

The temple belongs to the Omuro School of Shingon Buddhism, one of the branches of the Shingon sect founded by Kūkai in the early ninth century. The school's name derives from the Ninna-ji temple in Kyoto, known as Omuro, which became a centre of this lineage. For visitors and pilgrims, Shiromine-ji offers the standard facilities of a pilgrimage temple, including the reception office for pilgrimage seals, open from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM.