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Introducing Ehime-ken
Occupying the northwestern region of Shikoku, Ehime-ken is known to o-henrō as Bodai-no-dōjō (the place of attainment of wisdom) and has the largest number (27) of pilgrimage temples. Like Tosa, the southern part of the prefecture was always considered to be wild and remote, though o-henrō revel upon arrival in Shikoku’s largest city, Matsuyama, as they know that the hard work of the pilgrimage has been done.
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Perhaps the most famous temple in Ehime-ken is Temple 45, Iwaya-ji, which hangs high on a cliff-side above a valley floor. There are also large clusters of temples around Matsuyama and the Shimanami-kaidō bridge system, which links Shikoku to Honshū. However, perhaps more than other prefectures in Shikoku, Ehime-ken lures in travellers with its long list of noteworthy sights.
Prefectural highlights include the notorious sex shrine and museum in Uwajima, the immaculately preserved feudal castle and historic Dōgo Onsen in Matsuyama, and the sacred peak Ishizuchi-san (1982m), the tallest mountain in western Japan.
Last updated: Feb 17, 2009
