Kotohiragu Shrine is, alongside Ise-jingu Shrine, the best-known and most visited pilgrimage site in all of Japan.
The adjacent town is home to hot spring resorts, souvenir shops, and even a kabuki theater, all built to entertain and accommodate the numerous pilgrims.
After working up a sweat on a visit to the shrine, relax at a hot spring while enjoying delicious Kagawa cuisine and local sake.
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JR Kotohira Station, Kotoden-Kotohira Station
- Time required
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1 night, 2 days
JR Kotohira Station
Kotoden-Kotohira Station- A short walk
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1Takatoro Lantern
Takatoro Lantern in Kotohira is a tower-like structure built on a tall, pyramid-shaped foundation. Takatoro literally means “tall lantern” and comes from the word toro, which is a traditional lantern that is typically found in Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines.
Takatoro Lantern is located just three minutes on foot from JR Kotohira Station, making it easily accessible for tourists arriving from Takamatsu. It is the sightseeing spot every visitor to Kotohira should see first.
Takatoro Lantern has been designated an Important Tangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan related to the popular beliefs centered around Konpira, a syncretic deity known as the guardian of sailors. It is located near Kotohiragu Shrine, a Shinto sanctuary that is dedicated to Konpira and attracts thousands of visitors every year.
The three-story structure of Takatoro Lantern was completed in 1860, reaching 27 meters in height and thus becoming the tallest wooden lantern in the country. It was originally designed as a lighthouse for sailors in the Seto Inland Sea, who also used it as a landmark to offer their prayers to Konpira.More Details
- 40-minute walk
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2Kotohiragu Shrine
In the Edo period, Kotohiragu Shrine was an alluring destination many people wanted to travel to at least once in their lives. It has preserved its charm to this day as one of the most frequently visited spots in Kagawa Prefecture.
To get to the main shrine, you have to climb 785 stone steps, which takes about 30 minutes one way. The path is lined with numerous shops, restaurants, and traditional inns (ryokan). At the main shrine, there is a path that will take you up an additional 583 stone steps to the inner shrine. About half of all visitors end their journey after beating the initial 785 steps, but you can go all the way and complete the 1368-step pilgrimage if you feel up to the challenge.
On the way to the main shrine, you will walk past the treasure house (homotsukan), which houses many historical artifacts and works of art. Next, there is the Takahashi Yuichi Museum with an exhibition of works by Takahashi Yuichi, a realist painter from the 19th century. Further up, you will find the study (omoteshoin) where the sliding doors and walls are adorned with paintings by a famous 17th-century artist named Maruyama Okyo. You can take a break at the Kamitsubaki Café and Restaurant, located near the study. Go a little further to get to Asahi Shrine, which is decorated with intricate ornaments depicting clouds, humans, animals, plants, and various objects. Both the study and Asahi Shrine have been designated Important Cultural Properties of Japan.
In front of the Takahashi Yuichi Museum, there is a bronze dog statue of a konpira inu. The word konpira comes from the expression konpira-san, which is a nickname for Kotohiragu Shrine, and the word inu means dog. In the Edo period, ordinary citizens were not allowed to travel, except for visits to shrines and temples. For some people in eastern Japan, the journey to Kotohiragu Shrine often proved too challenging, so they asked their well-traveled acquaintances to take their offerings to the shrine on their behalf. Some people even entrusted their dogs with the task, and the dogs were then looked after by other pilgrims to make sure they made it to the final destination safely.More Details
- 30-minute walk
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3Kinryo Sake Museum
The origin of Seishu Kinryo sake dates to 1616. In that period there were several sake makers. One of these was Tsuruhaya, followed by Haneya who changed the name of the sake to Tsurutaya. The sake stock of this sake maker was later bought by the eighth generation Nishino Kaemon in 1789, at the end of Edo era. This was the birth of the refined sake, Kinryo.
There were three sake storage houses in the Kotohira headquarters. One of the storage houses is called Dainiko (second storage house), which faces the main street. It is approximately 2,916 square meters, and this was opened as Kinryo no Sato in 1988. At the entrance to the building is a sugidama, a ball made from sprigs of Japanese cedar, traditionally hung in the eaves of sake breweries to indicate that sake has been freshly brewed.
This traditional storage house contains the original white walls of the brewing company when it was established. Visitors to Kinryo no Sato can learn about the original sake production and see old sake-making tools and scenes that depict the sake-making process, while enjoying the audiovisual information provided.
We hope that you will learn about Japanese sake culture and encounter a refined sake in a relaxed atmosphere. Please enjoy tasting the sake, too, and having a relaxing rest under the shade of a 900-year-old sacred camphor tree.More Details
- 10-minute walk
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4Kanamaruza (formerly Konpira Oshibai)
Built in 1835, Kanamaruza is Japan’s oldest surviving complete kabuki theater. Konpira Daigongen (now known as Konpira san and Konpira Shrine) became a site of national pilgrimage in the middle of the Edo period (eighteenth century), drawing visitors to Kotohira from all over Japan. Kabuki and other forms of entertainment had been provided for these pilgrims several times a year in a temporary playhouse. As the town developed and expanded at the base of the shrine, Konpira Oshibai was constructed as a permanent kabuki theater to entertain the pilgrims. Renamed Kanamaruza around 1900, it has been known affectionately by that name ever since.
Kanamaruza was registered as an Important Cultural Property in 1970. Over a four-year period beginning in 1972, it was dismantled and reconstructed in its present location. In 2003, restoration work was begun and the theater was restored to its original Edo-period state.
In 1984, the theater attracted the attention of the professional kabuki world. Three famous actors, Nakamura Kichiemon II, Sawamura Tojuro II, and Nakamura Kankuro V, visited Kanamaruza to produce a TV program about it, which made it well known throughout Japan. They were fascinated by the theater’s unique atmosphere and traditional design, and thus the idea to hold regular performances there was born. In late June 1985, a kabuki troupe led by Kichiemon staged the play Saikai Zakura Misome no Kiyomizu (Reunion Among the Cherry Blossoms After the First Meeting at Kiyomizu) and the dance drama Niwaka Jishi (Spirited Lion) at the Kanamaruza.
Since 1985, annual kabuki performances called the Shikoku Konpira Kabuki Oshibai have been held in the month of April or May, an event that marks the arrival of spring to Shikoku island. First-rank kabuki actors come to perform, and the audience can relish kabuki in the compact size of theater for which it was originally designed, allowing close proximity to the stage and hanamachi, and a marvelous sense of intimacy with the players.More Details
- 10-minute walk
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5Enjoying Kagawa’s Wonderful Onsen
Since the Edo period, Kotohira has been known for providing accommodations for pilgrims visiting the nearby shrines and temples. Korin Chikakane used to operate a hotel in Kotohira, but in 1997 he created a hot spring resort by digging a well, tapping into this area’s natural hot springs to supply the naturally hot water to local hotels. There are now sixteen inns in the Kotohira Hot Springs area that use this water, stretching from the banks of the Kanakuragawa to the area near Konpira Shrine. Bathers have a choice of a variety of waters. Some of the baths are rich in sodium and calcium salts, while others have table salt and carbonic acid, or mild radioactivity. Some are effective against neuralgia, while others are good for gout. Pick the bath that is best for you! The Kotohira Hot Springs Festival takes place once a year.
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Restaurants in this area
