Clouds or haze, crossing Misaka touge. I received tea and sweets at Sakamotoya, and there I met other Ohenros, who I have seen couple of times. By that time sky was showing a sign of hot sunny day. Almost Matsuyama city.
There are 6 temples, and those temples are much crowded compared to before. At the 50th temple, after reading the Heart sutra, I realised that my cane is missing from the cane stand. I had waited for 10 minutes to find, but only one cane with same coloured cloth stayed. it was almost brand new, so it must belong to someone who does not go by foot.
I have tighten up the string many times when I walked in rain. The part of wood which underneath cloth, was whiter compared to the exposed part. Although it was only 23 days, it had been gripped by my hands, sunburned, and blown by salt wind. Although normally I do not use the cane on flat asphalt roads, and I even got annoyed that I had to hold it all the time, but now somehow I felt unbalanced and difficult to walk without it. Once you use in the mountains you realised how useful it is, then it had become part of body. I have reached Dougo Onsen with empty mind. Water was hot, cooling down until the time allows.
10.04.2016
46 浄瑠璃寺
47 八坂寺
48 西林寺
49 浄土寺
50 繁多寺
51 石手寺
道後温泉
33km
前半最後の日は朝から満腹。霞か雲か三坂峠を一気に越える。坂本屋でお接待を受け顔見知りのお遍路さんと会う頃には晴れて暑くなりそうな気配。もうすぐ松山。直線的に６軒の寺、参拝客がどこも多い。50番繁多寺、お経の後で自分の杖が見つからない。10分ほど待ったが結局見つかる気配もなく自分の杖と同じ色の布が巻かれた杖が残る。自分の名前しか書いていなかったのは間違えだった、残った杖にも誰かの名前のみ。明らかにキレイなので歩いている人のではなさそう。
雨に濡れ、何回も巻き直した布と紐、取るたびにその覆われた部分は白く見え、そこから下は手垢や、ほこり、日焼けして、たったの23日だが比較するとだいぶ色がついてた。
今日は道後温泉だと意気揚々としていたがそこからは妙に気が落ちた。平坦なアスファルトの道ではそれほど普段つかない、邪魔とさえ思っていたが、山を越えるたびに徐々に体の一部になっていた。杖がないとどうもうまく歩けない、バランスが取れないような気がする。ふらふら、ぼおっと道後温泉に着く。湯は熱めで、時間いっぱいまでぼおっと涼む。