The 33 Kannon Pilgrimage in Japan

I have found 56 lists of the 33 Kannon Pilgrimage, each of which has 33 Kannon temples listed.  Each of the list shows the order of visiting the 33 Kannon temples in the list as a pilgrimage.  It means I have found 56 “33 Kannon Pilgrimages."  I didn’t know Japan has so many 33 Kannon Pilgrimages.  Of course, they started from Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage, which was started by Priest Tokudo, who was working for Hase-dera Temple in today’s Sakurai City, Nara Prefecture, as early as in 718.  After the more-than-two-century-long oblivion, the pilgrimage was restarted by Emperor Kazan (968-1008), who got the idea of revitalizing the pilgrimage when he was confining himself in Seiganto-ji Temple in Kumano.

Why 33?

According to Lotus Sutra Chapter XXV, Avalokitesvara, to save people, manifest herself/himself/itself: #1 into the form of a buddha, #2 into the form of a pratyekabuddha, #3 into the form of a sravaka, #4 into the form of Brahma, #5 into the form of Sakra, #6 into the form of isvara, #7 into the form of Mahesvara, #8 into the form of the great commander of the devas, #9 into the form of Vaisravana, #10 into the form of a minor king, #11 into the form of a wealthy man, #12 into the form of a householder, #13 into the form of a state official, #14 into the form of a brahman, #15 into the form of a monk, #16 into the form of a nun, #17 into the form of a layman, #18 into the form of a  laywoman, #19 into the form of a wife of a wealthy man, #20 into the form of a wife of a householder, #21 into the form of a wife of a state official, #22 into the form of a wife of a brahman, #23 into the form of a boy, #24 into the form of a girl, #25 into the form of a deva, #26 into the form of naga, #27 into the form of yaksa, #28 into the form of gandharva, #29 into the form of asura, #30 into the form of garuda, #31 into the form of kimnara, #32 into the form of mahoraga, or #33 into the form of Vajrapani. Many of the forms, or manifestations, are an enumeration of occupations at the time of Buddha.  Thus most of the 33 manifestations haven't been carved into Buddhism statues or painted in Buddhism pictures in Japan.  Instead, the number 33 came to mean a lot to Avalokitesvara believers in Japan.

Other 55 have been started, basically, as a copy of Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage for those who couldn’t travel so far from their hometowns.  There might be some more, whose lists I haven't found yet.

Adachi Bando 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Aichi Baika 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Aizu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Akita Six Counties 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Asaka 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Awa 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Awa Chichibu 34 Kannon Pilgrimage

Bando 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Chichibu 34 Kannon Pilgrimage

Chita 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Chugoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Edo 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Ena 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Enshu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Harima 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Hida 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Hokkaido 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Hokuriku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Hokuriku Hakuju 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Ise 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Izumi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Kamakura 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Kanazawa 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Kawachi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Kodama 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Kumano 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Kunisaki Six Counties 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Kyoto Rakusei 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Kyushu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Mikawa 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Mino 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Mogami 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Musashino 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

New Joshu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

New Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Omi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Oshu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Owari 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Rakuyo 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Sagara 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Sano Bando 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Sanuki 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Senility-Prevention Kanto 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Setouchi 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Settsu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Shikoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Shinano 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Shinshu Chikuma 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Shintatsu 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Suo 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Tokai Hakuju 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Tsugaru 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Wakasa 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Wakayama 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

West Mino 33 Kannon Pilgrimage