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Chichibu-Tama-Kai NP, Saitama
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The old pilgrimage approach was marked by 36 stone guideposts, each carved with the name of one of Fudō Myōō’s 36 attendants. A 1991 study places their construction in the late Edo period.
Stone inscriptions preserve the names and home communities of the donors. A 1991 study found that 23 of 28 readable village names were local; yet one pedestal bears the words “Edo, Tsukiji”—a long way from this mountain trail.
Near the first torii, a sheltered stone image honors Kanzo Gyōja, credited with reviving the Hinata-Ōtani pilgrimage route. A 2022 votive paper beside the statue shows that pilgrims were still leaving offerings there.
At Ryokami’s shrines, stone wolves take the place of familiar komainu. Historical accounts describe worshippers “borrowing” the divine wolf’s protection against fire and theft—a very practical blessing for farming households.
