1 / 2Kotohira-gu, and 785 stepsPhoto: 663highland / CC BY 2.5
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Checked against official sources · updated · Takumi Yamada
The shrine of Konpira, god of seafarers. For centuries sailors who could not make the climb sent offerings by proxy, and ships still hang votive plaques here. Seven hundred and eighty-five steps to the main hall; 1,368 to the inner shrine.
- On a 4–6h ashore call our verdict is "Skip" — even the 10:00 train out and the 13:10 back put you at the gangway about 14:25. that misses a 5-hour call and leaves no margin on a 6-hour one. kotohira needs 8 hours.
- It is not only a photo stop: seven hundred and eighty-five steps, and dogs sent up them on their owners’ behalf.
- Great Gate 6:00 to 18:00. Main hall doors 7:00 to 17:00. Treasure House 9:00 to 17:00, last entry 16:30 — from the shrine's own pages. the inner shrine (itsutama shrine) doors and path are 9:00 to 16:30. treasure house: open only on weekends and holidays; also daily except tuesday from 1 oct to 30 nov, and 30 dec–3 jan. on weekdays from december to march it is shut. the omote-shoin is closed tuesdays (or the next weekday if a holiday). takahashi yuichi hall: open weekends and holidays, plus daily from 16 june to 30 september and 30 dec–3 jan..
- 6 hr door to door needs an 8-hour call: a 2–3 hour stop cannot hold it. Pick something closer instead.
Why Kotohira-gu, and 785 steps is famous
Seven hundred and eighty-five steps, and dogs sent up them on their owners’ behalf
Konpira-san sits on a mountainside and the main shrine is 785 steps up, the inner shrine 1,368. It is the head shrine of the god of seafarers, and for centuries a Konpira pilgrimage was the one journey ordinary people were permitted, sometimes made by a dog sent with the money instead.
Kotohira-gu is the head shrine of Konpira, the deity sailors pray to. Seven hundred and eighty-five stone steps to the main hall, 1,368 to the inner shrine. For those who could not make the climb there was a substitute: you sent your dog.
Konpira-san is the shrine of the sea god, and for centuries it has been a place sailors and fishermen visit to give thanks and ask for safe voyages. The shrine's own guide describes the walk as 785 stone steps from the approach street to the main hall, at step 785 and 251 m above sea level, about 30 minutes one way. For a cruise passenger it is the most direct answer to the question of what a ship day in Kagawa is for.
The climb is the experience. The shrine's guide names the sights on the way: the Great Gate donated by the Takamatsu lord Matsudaira Yorishige, the Asahi Shrine finished in 1845 after about 40 years of work, and the Shoin hall with Maruyama Okyo sliding-door paintings. A cafe and restaurant, Kamitsubaki, serves dishes from Shiseido Parlour Ginza beside the stone plaza. The Treasure House has an Important Cultural Property Eleven-Faced Kannon and a festival-procession screen. At the top there is an observation deck in front of the main hall.
The catch is time and knees. It is about 60 minutes each way by train, and the shrine itself warns that the section from step 113 to the Great Gate, called Ichinosaka, is especially steep, so go slowly and take the stopping points. The shrine's main festival is 9 to 11 October, with a procession on the 10th, and the Asahi Shrine is under restoration. On a short call, skip it.
Worshipped as Konpira, protector of seafarers
Second only to Ise in popularity
A purse, a note, and strangers along the road
Japan’s oldest surviving kabuki playhouse
Climb to the main hall, then go into Kanamaruza and under the stage. Almost nobody does the second part.
Things worth knowing
- Take the direct trains at :00 and :30 from Takamatsu-Chikko; the return at :12 and :42 from Kotoden-Kotohira takes about 60 minutes.
- The steep part is steps 113 to the Great Gate. Rest at the stopping points; the shrine itself advises going slowly.
- The Treasure House opens only on weekends and holidays, plus daily except Tuesday (the next weekday if Tuesday is a holiday) from 1 Oct to 30 Nov and 30 Dec–3 Jan; it is shut on weekdays from December to March. The main hall doors close at 17:00, but you should be heading back well before that.
- Hold off on the inner shrine path unless you have time; the path and doors close at 16:30.
- Konpira金毘羅 — The deity of seafarers. Ships still leave offerings here.
- Konpira-inuこんぴら狗 — A dog sent on pilgrimage with a purse, fed by strangers.
Kotohira-gu, and 785 steps and your ship
Both pins on one map, so the distance is a fact rather than a feeling.
Where the 6 hr goes
Counted from the moment you step off the gangway, about 30 minutes after the ship arrives. The hour before all-aboard is not in this bar; it is already set aside.
about 60 minutes each way is the measured figure for train ~1h, not the optimistic one. If your ship is late, cut the 3 hr 55 min in the middle. Never cut the hour at the end.
Questions people send us
How many steps are there at Kotohira-gu?
The shrine's guide says 785 stone steps from the approach street to the main hall, about 30 minutes one way, with the main hall at 251 m above sea level. The stretch from step 113 to the Great Gate (Ichinosaka) is particularly steep.
How do I get from Takamatsu cruise port to Kotohira-gu?
Walk about 10 minutes to Takamatsu-Chikko station and take the Kotoden Kotohira Line direct to Kotoden-Kotohira: about 60 minutes, ¥780. Through trains leave at :00 and :30. From the station it is about 10 minutes on foot to the start of the approach, then 785 steps, about 30–45 minutes, to the main hall.
Is Kotohira-gu worth it on an 8-hour call?
Yes if you are happy to walk. A 9:30 train gets you there at 10:30 and a 14:10 or 14:40 train back gets you to Takamatsu-Chikko at 15:10 or 15:40. On a shorter call, choose Ritsurin Garden or Takamatsu Castle instead.
What to put beside it
Each of these still lands you back aboard with the hour to spare.
See · ~3hRitsurin Garden
Seventy-five hectares, six ponds, thirteen landscaped hills and Mount Shiun standing behind it as borrowed scenery.
See the detail
Eat · ~1.5hUdon at a self-service mill
Kagawa eats more udon per head than anywhere in Japan.
See the detail
See · ~7hNaoshima
A copper-smelting island turned over to contemporary art from the 1990s: Tadao Ando concrete sunk into the hillside so nothing breaks the skyline, a Kusama pumpkin on the jetty, and old houses converted one at a time in Honmura.
See the detail