The long history of the Shikoku Pilgrimage is full of interesting personalities, from the religious ascetics who inspired its origin and the mendicant priests and scholars who established it, the warriors who did their best to wreck its fabric, to the pioneering foreign nationals who brought it to the attention of the West.

Here we look at these pilgrimage-related personages, starting with the legendary Emon Saburo. Going back over 1,200 years, people in every age made contributions to the pilgrimage, and today there are several notable scholars and pilgrim guides who are working to document and promote the Shikoku Henro.