In Japan pilgrimages can be divided into two general types. The first is the type exemplified by the "Pilgrimage to the 33 Holy Places of KANNON in the Western Provinces" and the "Pilgrimages to the 88 Temples of Shikoku," in which one makes a circuit of a series of temples or holy places, sometimes separated by great distances, in a set order. The order of visitation is an important feature of this type of pilgrimage. The second type is a journey to one particular holy place. Pilgrimages to the KUMANO SANZAN SHRINES and ISE SHRINE, as well as to certain holy mountains, belong to this type (see also OKAGE MAIRI). In common usage the term junrei usually refers to the first type only.
It is thought that pilgrimages were first undertaken in the Nara period (710-794), although the custom did not become popular until the Heian period (794-1185). Kumano, in southern Wakayama Prefecture, became a large center for adherents of the SHUGENDO sect.
HASEDERA, SHITENNOJI, KOYASAN, and KIMFUSENJI were also popular pilgrimage sites. In the Edo period (1600-1868) the number of pilgrims who made journeys to the western province, Shikoku, KOTOHIRA SHRINE, ZENKOJI, Ise, Kiso Ontake, and Mt.Fuji increased rapidly. Travel since the Meiji period (1868-1912) has basically preserved the Edo-period pattern of pilgrimage. Behind this phenomenon perhaps lies a nostalgia for the past, a resurging interest in religion, and a desire for temporary escape from urban centers.