Route
Japan’s oldest major Buddhist circuit — 33 temples of Kannon across Kansai, older than the Shikoku henro.
Established over a millennium ago and still walked as a Japan Heritage route. Traditionally begun at Seiganto-ji by Nachi Falls and continued through Nara, Kyoto, Shiga, and beyond. This guide maps all 33 official temples of the western circuit.
33 mapped anchors on the circuit.
1Temple 1 — Seiganto-jiJapanTemple 1 of the Saigoku Kannon pilgrimage — pagoda overlooking Nachi Falls in the Kumano mountains.
2Temple 2 — Kimii-deraJapanTemple 2 of the Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.Kimii-dera → Kokawa-dera· ~23 km / 14 mi
3Temple 3 — Kokawa-deraJapanTemple 3 of the Saigoku Kannon pilgrimage in Wakayama.Kokawa-dera → Sefuku-ji· ~16 km / 10 mi
4Temple 4 — Sefuku-jiJapanTemple 4 of the Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.Sefuku-ji → Fujii-dera· ~21 km / 13 mi
5Temple 5 — Fujii-deraJapanTemple 5 of the Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.Fujii-dera → Minamihokke-ji· ~25 km / 16 mi
6Temple 6 — Minamihokke-jiJapanTemple 6 of the Saigoku Kannon pilgrimage in Nara Prefecture.Minamihokke-ji → Oka-dera· ~5 km / 3 mi
7Temple 7 — Oka-deraJapanTemple 7 of the Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.Oka-dera → Hase-dera (Nara)· ~10 km / 6 mi
8Temple 8 — Hase-dera (Nara)JapanTemple 8 of Saigoku — hill temple of Eleven-Faced Kannon above the ancient Yamato plain.Hase-dera (Nara) → Nan'endō (Kōfuku-ji)· ~18 km / 11 mi
9Temple 9 — Nan'endō (Kōfuku-ji)JapanTemple 9 of the Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.Nan'endō (Kōfuku-ji) → Mimuroto-ji· ~24 km / 15 mi
10Temple 10 — Mimuroto-jiJapanTemple 10 of Saigoku — hillside flower temple above Uji.Mimuroto-ji → Kami Daigo-ji· ~6 km / 3 mi
11Temple 11 — Kami Daigo-jiJapanTemple 11 of the Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.Kami Daigo-ji → Shōhō-ji (Iwama-dera)· ~6 km / 4 mi
12Temple 12 — Shōhō-ji (Iwama-dera)JapanTemple 12 of the Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.Shōhō-ji (Iwama-dera) → Ishiyama-dera· ~4 km / 2 mi
13Temple 13 — Ishiyama-deraJapanTemple 13 of Saigoku — Shingon temple on wollastonite cliffs above Lake Biwa’s southern shore.Ishiyama-dera → Mii-dera· ~8 km / 5 mi
14Temple 14 — Mii-deraJapanTemple 14 of Saigoku — Onjō-ji, great temple overlooking Lake Biwa at Ōtsu.Mii-dera → Imakumano Kannon-ji· ~8 km / 5 mi
15Temple 15 — Imakumano Kannon-jiJapanTemple 15 of the Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.Imakumano Kannon-ji → Kiyomizu-dera· ~2 km / 1 mi
16Temple 16 — Kiyomizu-deraJapanTemple 16 of Saigoku — Kyoto’s cliffside stage temple dedicated to Thousand-Armed Kannon.Kiyomizu-dera → Rokuharamitsu-ji· ~1 km / 1 mi
17Temple 17 — Rokuharamitsu-jiJapanTemple 17 of the Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.Rokuharamitsu-ji → Chōhō-ji (Rokkaku-dō)· ~2 km / 1 mi
18Temple 18 — Chōhō-ji (Rokkaku-dō)JapanTemple 18 of Saigoku — hexagonal hall in central Kyoto.Chōhō-ji (Rokkaku-dō) → Gyōgan-ji (Kōdō)· ~1 km / 1 mi
19Temple 19 — Gyōgan-ji (Kōdō)JapanTemple 19 of the Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.Gyōgan-ji (Kōdō) → Yoshimine-dera· ~14 km / 9 mi
20Temple 20 — Yoshimine-deraJapanTemple 20 of the Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.Yoshimine-dera → Anao-ji· ~12 km / 7 mi
21Temple 21 — Anao-jiJapanTemple 21 of the Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.Anao-ji → Sōji-ji (Ibaraki)· ~20 km / 12 mi
22Temple 22 — Sōji-ji (Ibaraki)JapanTemple 22 of the Saigoku Kannon pilgrimage in Osaka Prefecture.Sōji-ji (Ibaraki) → Katsuō-ji· ~9 km / 6 mi
23Temple 23 — Katsuō-jiJapanTemple 23 of the Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.Katsuō-ji → Nakayama-dera· ~12 km / 8 mi
24Temple 24 — Nakayama-deraJapanTemple 24 of the Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.Nakayama-dera → Kiyomizu-dera (Hyōgo)· ~31 km / 19 mi
25Temple 25 — Kiyomizu-dera (Hyōgo)JapanTemple 25 of the Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.Kiyomizu-dera (Hyōgo) → Ichijō-ji· ~27 km / 17 mi
26Temple 26 — Ichijō-jiJapanTemple 26 of Saigoku — mountain temple above Kasai in Hyōgo.Ichijō-ji → Engyō-ji· ~15 km / 9 mi
27Temple 27 — Engyō-jiJapanTemple 27 of the Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.
28Temple 28 — Nariai-jiJapanTemple 28 of the Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.Nariai-ji → Matsunoo-dera· ~28 km / 17 mi
29Temple 29 — Matsunoo-deraJapanTemple 29 of the Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.Matsunoo-dera → Hōgon-ji· ~62 km / 38 mi
30Temple 30 — Hōgon-jiJapanTemple 30 of Saigoku — island temple on Chikubu-shima in Lake Biwa.Hōgon-ji → Chōmei-ji· ~30 km / 18 mi
31Temple 31 — Chōmei-jiJapanTemple 31 of the Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.Chōmei-ji → Kannonshō-ji· ~9 km / 6 mi
32Temple 32 — Kannonshō-jiJapanTemple 32 of the Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.Kannonshō-ji → Kegon-ji· ~60 km / 37 mi
33Temple 33 — Kegon-jiJapanTemple 33 of Saigoku — traditional finish of the Kansai Kannon pilgrimage in Gifu.
