noun
pilgrim's backpack box; wooden box carried on the back for pilgrimage items
A traditional wooden box strapped to the back, used by pilgrims (especially on the Shikoku pilgrimage) to carry personal belongings and religious items.
お遍路さんは笈を背負って歩いていた。
The pilgrim was walking with a wooden backpack box on his back.
The historical derivation is uncertain; the kanji 笈 is conventionally associated with this meaning.