Oﬃcial Guide
KOTOHIRA-Gu
KOTOHIRA-Gu, or, more familiarly,
Kompira-san, is a Shinto shrine
dedicated to the guardian gods of the sea,fertility and medicine. Shinto (the Way ofthe Gods), is polytheistic, has its roots inancient Japanese mythology, and strongly
emphasizes love of nature, the importanceof family, and physical cleanliness.
During the Edo period (1603〜1867),
when pilgrimage was the only form oftravel permitted to common folk,
people dreamed of "making a pilgrimage toKOTOHIRA-Gu". Still, today, visitors toShikoku from all over Japan make aparticular point of visiting Kompira-san.
A special feature of the shrine is its
location - high up the eastern slope ofZozu-san (named for its proﬁle resemblingan elephant) and accessed by the purifying
eﬀort of climbing up 785 stone steps tothe Gohon-Gu (main shrine) itself.

KOTOHIRA-Gu

Fortunately, there are many secondary
shrines, fascinating examples of sculpture
and architecture and other diversions on theway to provide an excuse for a break in theclimb.
Halfway up you will come to what seems
to be a small'parade ground'. Another 30
or so steps up again and you will face aT-junction. You can go left from theT-junction to continue up to the Gohon-Gu(main shrine). But if you go right, you willpass through a large gate and come to abeautiful old building housing galleries,
the Omote-Shoin Art Museum, Oku-Shoin,(open on special occasions), andShiro-Shoin (open on special occasions).
The beautiful garden and pond beside
Omote-Shoin will entice you to sit and rest
before continuing and houses art treasuresdesignated as Important Cultural Properties.
Omote-Shoin houses sliding paper doors
painted by the renowned Edo-era artist,
Maruyama Okyo (1733~1795). Oku-Shoin(open only on special occasions) has
paintings by Itoh Jakuchu.

Omote-Shoin

Mizunomi-no-tora

Oku-Shoin (open on special occasions)Hyakka-no-zu (open on special occasions)

Resuming the climb, there's a turn to theright 80 meters after the T-junction,.
But note the entrance to the tea-roomand restaurant, Kamitsubaki, on the left.
You may want to rest here on your way back.
There was always a tea room here, datingfrom 1797, donated by Yamatoya Yasaburo.
This building, unfortunately, blocked the forest
view to the south, and so was shifted northto construct a cafe below ground level anda restaurant below that. The walls featuretiles of camelia and glazed in Arita, Kyushu
in "Fukagawa Blue" by Fukagawa Seiji
You'll pass the largest building on the site,
Asahi-Sha, which sits on the last ﬂat place
before the steep climb up to theGohon-Gu(main shrine).

Asahi-Sha

Gohon-Gu (main shrine), is appropriately
impressive.
Every thirty-three years its fabulous layered
bark roof is replaced.
Note the gorgeous ceiling panels,
hand-painted in kiji-makie URUSHI style byartists at Wajima on the Japan Sea.

Gohon-Gu (main shrine)

Look to the north for views out over the
Seto Inland Sea, and across the plain below
to a mountain so symmetrical it is called
Sanuki-Fuji. As you leave the Gohon-Gu(main shrine), before starting back down, youwill pass stands oﬀering shrine merchandise.
New Year favorites include decorativearchery arrows, and there are a variety oftablets to place in your home for safety of
the homestead, for success in exams orother endeavors, or for safety at sea(making this shrine especially important tosailors and ﬁshermen), among others. If you
climb another 583 steps from Gohon-Gu(main shrine), Oku-Sha (Izutama shrine)
the guardian deity of Gohon-Gu (mainshrine), is enshrined.
You can overlook the Sanuki plain from theobservation deck.
On the mountain side where I look back,there is the face of Tengu who is said tobe the god of Oku-Sha (Izutama shrine).
And Karasu Tengu, who prays for thesafety of traveler.

View from Gohon-Gu (main shrine)

Oku-Sha (Izutama shrine）

Kompira-san is a very active shrine,preserving and promoting symbolic eventsand seasonal markers of Japanese culture.
By far the biggest is Hatsumode(ﬁrst shrine visit of the New Year), when tensof thousands of visitors stream up to theGohon-Gu (main shrine) to make an oﬀeringand pray for good health and fortune in the
coming year. If the crowds are overwhelming
and your knees begin to shake on the way
down all those steps, branch oﬀ to the left atthe 'parade-ground'into the quiet serenityof the extensive forested grounds and takethe heavenly, smooth Ura-Sando (back route)down to the town.
The most solemn festival is held October
9~11, when Kami-sama (God), in a
portable shrine, accompanied by theChief Priest in an elaborate palanquinand a retinue of other shrine priests
and shrine maidens, guards andfootman a procession down from theGohon-Gu (main shrine) to take up
temporary residence at the shrine.
grounds across Saya-Bashi. Equallyspectacular is the Kami-sama's midnight
return, culminating in an unbelievable dashup the last and steepest ﬂight of steps into
the Gohon-Gu (main shrine).

Reitaisai (The most solemn festival)

Kemari, a colorful pageant of"soccer skills"
by shrine priests in colorful classic costume,
can only be seen in Kyoto, or here at
Kompira-san on the ground in front ofOmote-Shoin. The Kemari ground is deﬁned
by four forked trees, a pine, cherry, willow andmaple. Gods are said to be sitting in the forks
enjoying the display. Not to be missed, kemari
is on May 5, July 7, and in late December.

KemariAnd to celebrate the turn of the seasons,
there are colorful events like the Cherry
Blossom Festival (April 10) and the Maple
Viewing Festival (November 10).
For those lucky enough to be able to visit
often, Kompira-san oﬀers both solemn anddazzling occasions throughout the year.
We hope you enjoy your visit.
Mr. Kotooka Guuji (Chief Priest) continue torenovate and add to the site to make it afunctioning shrine.
©2009 KOTOHIRA-Gu Based on documents provided by KOTOHIRA-Gu
Written by Graham & Sumié PAGE

KOTOHIRA-Gu ACCESS MAP
KOTOHIRA-Gu

Oku-Sha(Izutama shrine)

MutsutamaBatsujo- Shrine
Den
RyokutaiDen

Gohon-Gu (main shrine)
785th
ShinsatsuStone step
JuyoshoKaguraDen

MihotsuhimeSha
Asahi-Sha

KOTOHIRA-YAMA

Omote-Sando(Stone steps)
Ura-Sando
City Road

Omote-Shoin

Cafe & Restaurant
Kamitsubaki

Oku-Shoin

Kanakura River

Shiro-Shoin

Railway

Mokuba-Sha
Mi-Umaya

Takahashi
Yuichi-Kan

Ura-Sando

Homotsu-Kan
O-Mon
Ko-Ro

Kanamaru-Za

Saya-Bashi

Konpira Shominshinko
Shiryo Shuzo-KoKotohira
HonkyoSo-honbu

OmoteSando

Security Gate

YachiyoKamadoKotohira
Post Oﬃce

One way
Ima-Bashi Ichino-Hashi

Kotohira
ElementarySchool
toAwa-Ikeda,
Kochi

Hotel
Kotosankaku

Kotohira Dentetsu Line
Kotohira Station

Shin-machi
Shopping St.

JR Kotohira Station

to Zentsuji
to Root319
KanakuraRiver

Taka-Toro to
TakamatsuChikuko

toTakamatsu,
Okayama

892-1, Kotohira-cho, Nakatado-gun,
Kagawa-ken, JAPAN 766-8501+81・(0)877-75-2121

www.konpira.or.jp

Konpira-inu

The top picture is “Member of Sanuki-in, a ﬁgure to save Tametomo” .
A painting by Kuniyoshi Utagawa an Ukiyoe artist in late Edo period.