Kotohira-gu

Kotohira-gū occupies the wooded flank of Zōzu-san, the Elephant's Head Mountain, above the small town of Kotohira in western Kagawa. It is the head shrine of the Konpira faith, with several hundred branch shrines across Japan, and has been visited for centuries by people praying for safe voyages, good catches and prosperity.

The approach begins in the town among souvenir shops and udon restaurants and climbs a long stone stairway to the main shrine, 785 steps above the start, from where the view extends across the Sanuki plain to the Seto Inland Sea. Those who continue reach the Izutama-jinja inner shrine after a total of 1,368 steps.

Along the way stand the Ōmon gate, the Omote Shoin reception hall with its paintings by Maruyama Ōkyo, and the Asahi-sha hall, an ornate building of the 19th century. Model ships, paintings of vessels and plaques donated by shipping companies and maritime schools fill the Ema-dō hall.

Until the Meiji era Kotohira was a syncretic Shinto-Buddhist sanctuary called Konpira Daigongen, named after Kumbhīra, a crocodile deity of the Ganges adopted into Buddhism as a protector of sailors. In the Edo period a Konpira pilgrimage became one of the great popular journeys of Japan, second only to Ise; those unable to travel sometimes sent a dog, the konpira-inu, with an offering tied around its neck. With the separation of Shinto and Buddhism in 1868 the sanctuary became the Shinto shrine Kotohira-gū.

Konpira-san is closely tied to Japan's maritime culture. The shrine's amulets are carried on fishing boats and merchant ships, and shipping companies and maritime schools are prominent among its donors. The konpira-inu tradition is commemorated by a bronze dog statue on the approach.

The Kanamaru-za in the town, the oldest surviving kabuki theatre in Japan, traditionally stages the Shikoku Konpira Kabuki Ōshibai in spring, with leading actors performing in the Edo-period auditorium. Sanuki udon, the thick wheat noodles for which Kagawa is famous, is served all along the approach.