Kotohiragu Shrine 金刀比羅宮

Kotohiragu Shrine, located on Mt. Zozu in the small town of Kotohira , is visited by many pilgrims from all over Japan.

It is a 10-minute walk from JR Kotohira Station to the start of the stone steps.

JR Kotohira Station is 60 minutes from Takamatsu Station on the JR Dosan Line.

Alternatively, Kotohiragu Shrine can be reached by taking the Kotoden Kotohira Line from Takamatsu Chikko Station (60 minutes). From Kotoden Kotohira Station, it is an 8-minute walk to the start of the stone steps.

There are many souvenir shops, cafes, teahouses and udon noodle restaurants located in the area around the shrine.

Once you have finished shopping and eating, the path to the main shrine hall takes around 45 minutes including 785 stone steps. Yellow amulets of happiness are available at the main shrine's omamori office, and tengu amulets are available at the inner shrine.

The main shrine is dedicated to the gods of agriculture, livestock, medicine, and marine safety. If you look inside the main hall, you can see the paintings on the ceiling from an angle. Be sure to take a look.

From here visitors can choose to climb an additional 583 steps to the inner shrine or descend the stone staircase back to the town.

After climbing the stone steps, treat yourself to a soak at the Konpira hot springs back in the town of Kotohira .