Kagawa Prefecture Specialties, Souvenirs, Shrines, Temples, and Travel | 47 Prefecture Guide

Kagawa is Japan’s smallest prefecture by area It also has little rain. These two facts shaped the food of this land.

Specialties

Sanuki udon is, No. 1 in Japan for both household spending on udon and the number of udon shops per capita according to estimates.

Why udon? Because rainfall was low, the land was not well suited to rice farming, so wheat was grown instead. Salt was also produced in the Seto Inland Sea’s traditional salt fields. Soybeans, the raw material for soy sauce, were also grown on Shodoshima. Wheat, salt, soy sauce, and iriko dried sardines from the Seto Inland Sea. Everything needed for udon was available within a radius of several dozen kilometers. A local specialty is not a miracle; it is a matter of sourcing.

Olives (Shodoshima is one of the birthplaces of olive cultivation in Japan), Marugame fans, bone-in chicken, and wasanbon sugar.

Souvenirs

Half-dried udon, Shodoshima hand-stretched somen noodles, olive oil. And sweets made with wasanbon sugar.

Wasanbon is said to take its name from a process in which sugar is wrapped in cloth and pressed, then kneaded by hand on a tray, repeated three times The grains are fine, and it melts quickly in the mouth.

Shrines and Temples

Kotohira-gu Shrine in Kotohira Town is a shrine to a sea deity, affectionately known as Konpira-san.

The approach has 785 steps to the main shrine and 1,368 steps to the inner shrine. In the Edo period, when free travel was difficult, a pilgrimage to Konpira, alongside a pilgrimage to Ise, was an accepted reason for travel. There is also a tradition of “Konpira dogs,” in which a dog was sent to worship with offerings and talismans attached when the person could not go themselves. The desire to travel borrowed the form of faith.

Zentsuji Temple in Zentsuji City is the birthplace of Kukai It is regarded as such a temple, and is the 75th temple of the 88-temple pilgrimage. It stands near the final part of the route that begins in Tokushima.

Yashimaji Temple (Takamatsu City) and Negoroji Temple. With 23 of the 88 pilgrimage temples in one prefecture, Kagawa has the highest density in Shikoku in total.

Sightseeing

Naoshima is, has become an island of contemporary art visited by people from around the world The Setouchi Triennale is held every 3 years.

Ritsurin Garden (a Special Place of Scenic Beauty of Japan), Marugame Castle (with an original surviving keep), the coin-shaped sand art at Kotohiki Park (Kanonji City), and Angel Road on Shodoshima Island.

Traditional Crafts

Nationally designated items are Kagawa lacquerware and Marugame uchiwa fans, two items in all.

Marugame uchiwa fans are said to account for roughly 90% of domestic production. It began with “shibu-uchiwa” fans sold as souvenirs for pilgrimages to Konpira. A souvenir carried by pilgrims became a nationwide market share over 400 years.

For details, see 【VILLAGE Report vol.12】How a Souvenir Became a Nationwide Share

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References: Kagawa Prefecture, Takamatsu City, Marugame City, Kotohira Town, Shodoshima Town, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Agency for Cultural Affairs, Association for the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries — Value Village Editorial Team