The is the wooden staff carried by yamabushi

Yamabushi

' are Japanese mountain ascetic hermits with a long tradition as mighty warriors endowed with supernatural powers. They follow the Shugendō doctrine, an integration of mainly esoteric Buddhism of the Shingon sect, with Tendai and Shinto elements...

 and the henro or pilgrim on the Shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage

Shikoku Pilgrimage

The or is a multi-site pilgrimage of 88 temples associated with the Buddhist monk Kūkai on the island of Shikoku, Japan. A popular and distinctive feature of the island's cultural landscape, and with a long history, large numbers of pilgrims still undertake the journey for a variety of ascetic,...

 in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. The kongō-zue is said to represent the body of Kōbō Daishi

Kukai

Kūkai , also known posthumously as , 774–835, was a Japanese monk, civil servant, scholar, poet, and artist, founder of the Shingon or "True Word" school of Buddhism. Shingon followers usually refer to him by the honorific titles of and ....

 and to support the henro along the way; as such it is treated with respect, having its 'feet' washed and being brought inside at the end of each day's journey. It is inscribed with the chant Namu-Daishi-Henjō-Kongō and 'Dōgyō-Ninin' or 'We two pilgrims together'. By another tradition it is carried aloft when crossing a bridge so that it does not touch the ground and wake Kōbō Daishi. Pilgrims leave their Kongō-zue at Ōkubo-ji

Ōkubo-ji

is a Shingon temple in Sanuki, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is Temple 88 on the Shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage. Pilgrims leave their kongō-zue at the temple when completing the circuit. The Ōkubo-ji temple bell and pilgrim bells have been selected by the Ministry of the Environment as one of the 100...

, the final temple, when completing the circuit. There is an occasional funerary practice in Shikoku

Shikoku

is the smallest and least populous of the four main islands of Japan, located south of Honshū and east of the island of Kyūshū. Its ancient names include Iyo-no-futana-shima , Iyo-shima , and Futana-shima...

 and other parts of Japan whereby the deceased are dressed as a pilgrim and placed in the casket along with a tsue and nōkyō-chō for their final journey.