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Kotohira-gu (Konpira-san), Kagawa: 785 Steps to the Main Shrine — Guide with Original Photos

2026-11-03 · 7分钟阅读

Kotohira-gu (Konpira-san), Kagawa: 785 Steps to the Main Shrine — Guide with Original Photos
💡文章重点⏱ 2 分钟阅读

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.

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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

ItemDetails
Address892-1 Kotohira, Nakatado District, Kagawa
Steps785 to the main shrine, 1,368 to the inner shrine (Okusha)
Climbing timeAbout 1 hour one way from the first step to the main shrine
Grounds (Ōmon gate)6:00–18:00
Main shrine doors7:00–17:00
Inner shrine9:00–16:30
ParkingNone 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

Stone marker reading こんぴらさん and a stone lantern at the foot of the Konpira steps, with visitors climbing past souvenir shops
The first steps, marked with a こんぴらさん stone post.

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.

Konpira approach lined with shops, including a manju shop with yellow lanterns, with a stone stairway ahead
Shops line the lower steps of the approach.

② Into the shrine grounds

Wide stone staircase under trees inside Kotohira-gu, with a sign asking visitors to keep right
Higher up, the shops give way to trees. Signs ask visitors to keep right.

③ Asahi-sha, an Important Cultural Property

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Asahi-sha, the large two-storey wooden hall at Kotohira-gu, with lanterns marked with the shrine's 金 crest
Asahi-sha. The main shrine is still further up the steps.

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

Wooden gate at Kotohira-gu framing a shoin hall, with a poster of a tiger painting beside it
A gate inside the grounds, with a poster for the tiger paintings.

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

Ema-dou hall at Kotohira-gu hung with framed pictures of ships, with a solar-panelled boat displayed underneath
Framed pictures of ships, offered with prayers for safety, and a solar-panelled boat.

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 hall of Kotohira-gu with a queue of worshippers and a large lantern marked with the 金 crest
The main shrine, 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.

The Kagura-den hall at Kotohira-gu with its carved name board and a large ornamental drum
The Kagura-den, a hall for sacred dance.

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.

→ Marugame Castle Matsuri, Kagawa→ Takamatsu Tanabata Festival→ Shikoku 88-temple pilgrimage guide→ Ferries to Shikoku and Kyushu

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