Kotohira-gu (Konpira-san), Kagawa: 785 Steps to the Main Shrine — Guide with Original Photos
2026-11-03 · 7 min read
Kotohira-gu sits at the top of a 785-step stone stairway in Kagawa. Here is the climb, from the shops at the bottom to the main shrine, in original photos.
Kotohira-gu, better known as Konpira-san, is reached by a long stone stairway: 785 steps from the town to the main shrine, and 1,368 to the inner shrine. The climb is the visit.
💡Original photos
All photos in this article were taken on site.
Kotohira-gu quick facts
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Address | 892-1 Kotohira, Nakatado District, Kagawa |
| Steps | 785 to the main shrine, 1,368 to the inner shrine (Okusha) |
| Climbing time | About 1 hour one way from the first step to the main shrine |
| Grounds (Ōmon gate) | 6:00–18:00 |
| Main shrine doors | 7:00–17:00 |
| Inner shrine | 9:00–16:30 |
| Parking | None inside the grounds; use a car park in town and walk |
⚡⏰ Give yourself the full hour
The shrine puts the climb from the first step to the main shrine at about an hour each way. Start early so you are not rushing the top section before the doors close at 17:00.
① The start of the climb
The climb begins in the town. The lower steps are lined with souvenir and sweet shops, so the first stretch feels more like a shopping street than a shrine path.
② Into the shrine grounds
③ Asahi-sha, an Important Cultural Property
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Asahi-sha is designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan. With its heavy two-tier roof and carved woodwork it looks like a destination in itself, but it is not the main shrine: that is still further up.
④ The Shoin and its painted screens
The Omote-shoin hall displays sliding-door paintings by Maruyama Ōkyo, Murata Tanryō and Mori Kansai. It is one of the shrine's museum facilities.
⑤ The Ema-dou: pictures of ships
The Ema-dou is hung with framed pictures of ships. The frames are marked 奉納 (offering) and 安全祈願 (prayer for safety), and a solar-panelled boat is displayed below them.
⑥ The main shrine at step 785
The main shrine stands at the 785th step. Its doors are open from 7:00 to 17:00, and prayers are offered from 9:00, with the last reception at 16:30.
Before you go
- ●Allow about one hour each way from the first step to the main shrine.
- ●There is no parking inside the grounds. Use a car park in town and walk up.
- ●For car navigation the shrine advises setting JR Kotohira Station as the destination, because routing to the shrine itself can lead onto roads closed to general traffic.
- ●The inner shrine (Okusha) is at step 1,368 and keeps shorter hours, 9:00–16:30.
- ●Paths may close without notice in typhoons, heavy rain or strong wind.
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Step counts, climbing time, opening hours and access notes are from the official Kotohira-gu website.
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