area/[pref]/[city]

1,368 stone steps up to Konpira-san — the maritime guardian of Shikoku

A magnificent Important Cultural Property completed in 1837 at step 628 of Kotohira-gu; so splendidly adorned with intricate carvings that pilgrims are said to have mistaken it for the main shrine — an essential architectural highlight of the Konpira pilgrimage route.

The 1,368-step stone approach to Kotohira-gu, lined with Edo- and Meiji-era shops and inns; the Kanamaru-za kabuki theater stands alongside, preserving the living townscape of the 'Konpira pilgrimage' gate town of Kotohira.

Japan's oldest surviving kabuki theater, built in 1835 and an Important Cultural Property; each April the 'Konpira Kabuki' stages modern actors on the Edo-era revolving stage, traps and hanamichi — an irreplaceable living heritage of Edo-period theater.

A museum within Kotohira-gu dedicated to Takahashi Yuichi, the pioneer of Japanese Western-style painting; a rare permanent collection of early-Meiji yoga works visited by art enthusiasts alongside their shrine pilgrimage.