Kotohira Town

Japan's oldest surviving kabuki theater.

Kanamaruza theatre

Photo by Toto-tarou (CC BY-SA 3.0)

01 ／ Sayabashi Bridge

With no piers,the bridge arcs out from both banks.

Saya-bridge,Kotohira-town,Japan.JPG — Photo by katorisi (CC BY-SA 3.0)

This roofed, arched wooden bridge over the Kanakura River (金倉川) has no piers — it is cantilevered out from both banks, earning it the nickname "floating bridge." Rebuilt into its present form in 1869 and moved to its current site in 1905, it became a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 1998. It can only be crossed during Kotohira-gu's rites, such as its annual grand festival.

23.6 m long, 4.5 m wide
1998: National Registered Tangible Cultural Property
Used only for shrine rites

02 ／ Takatōrō Lantern

At 27 meters,said to be Japan's tallest.

At the foot of the approach stands the Takatōrō (高燈籠), a three-story wooden lighthouse built on a tall stone base. The local tourism association calls it Japan's tallest wooden lantern, at 27 meters. It served as a votive light for Kotohira-gu and, by tradition, also as a landmark for sailors crossing the Seto Inland Sea toward the shrine.

27 meters tall
Three stories inside
Said to have doubled as a landmark for sailors

03 ／ Asahi-sha Hall

Master carpenters from across Japancompeted in the art of carving.

Kotohira-gu's Asahi-sha (旭社) hall was built in 1837 and designated a National Important Cultural Property in 1982. Master carpenters gathered from across the country to build it, competing with one another's carving skill — a contest said to be the origin of Sanuki Ittobori (讃岐一刀彫), one of Kagawa's traditional crafts. Until the Meiji-era separation of Buddhism and Shinto, it served as the main hall of the shrine's Buddhist temple.

Built 1837 (Tenpō 8)
1982: National Important Cultural Property
Said to be the origin of Sanuki Ittobori carving

Living here

The JR Dosan Line and Kotoden's Kotohira Line meet at the approach.

about 8,000 people
Rural district town

Kotohira lies in eastern Nakatado District, on the alluvial fan of the Kanakura River, with Kotohira-gu shrine on the slope of Mount Zōzu. It has never been merged into a neighboring town. It is also known for garlic — by the town's own figures, it leads the prefecture in production share. JR Kotohira Station, the gateway, also connects to the Kotoden Kotohira Line.

People living here: 8,468people
Area: 8.47km²
Households: 3,675households
Rent (average for rentals): —
Healthcare: 2 hospitals ／ 10 clinics

Area and habitable land at the same scalee-Stat B1101 / B1103

Children waiting for childcare: —3 nurseries and similar
Home purchase subsidy: —
Average annual temperature: —

These 3 items are waiting on a nationwide data source. We do not fill them with estimates.

Shape

Borders 3 municipalities.

Kotohira Town in Japan34.191°N 133.823°E

Territory of Kotohira Town

Boundaries: National Land Numerical Information (N03)

North to south

5.3km

まんのう町, 善通寺市, 三豊市

Travel times per leg are not published by the municipality, so they are not shown.

Kotohira Town isthis kind of town.

01Built in 1835, the Old Konpira Grand Theatre (Kanamaruza) is Japan's oldest surviving kabuki playhouse. The wooden roller mechanism that turns its revolving stage was named a Mechanical Engineering Heritage in 2010.
02The Sayabashi bridge over the Kanakura River has no piers and is used only for Kotohira-gu's rites. At the approach stands the Takatōrō lantern, a 27-meter wooden tower the tourism association calls Japan's tallest.
03Asahi-sha is said to have been built by master carpenters competing in carving skill, giving rise to the Sanuki Ittobori craft. Along Kotohira-gu's approach, legends also survive of the loyal pilgrim dog Konpira-inu and of the Gonin Hyakushō, five families licensed to sell candy on the sacred grounds.

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

Kotohira Town official site ↗Wikipedia ↗