A Shop on the Kotohira Approach
The Henkotsuya Shop Building (へんこつ屋店舗) is a two-storey timber shop of the mid-Meiji period, altered in the early Showa period, on the Shinmachi-nishi shopping street near the east end of Ichinohashi bridge on the approach to Kotohira-gu Shrine in Kotohira Town, Nakatado District, Kagawa Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on March 2, 2004 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records two storeys of timber with a tiled roof and a building area of 136 square metres, registration number 37-0209.
The Stubborn Old Man's Shop
According to the travel site Shichu Navi, the Henkotsuya business in the Henkotsuya Shop Building is a confectioner founded in the early Taisho period. Its name comes from henkotsu, a local word for a stubborn person who cannot stand anything crooked, after the founder.
The same site describes a room at the back of the Henkotsuya Shop Building where visitors grind ink, write on paper and paste their calligraphy over the ceiling and walls (Shichu Navi).
Value as a Registered Cultural Property
The Henkotsuya Shop Building was registered as a building that would not be easy to reproduce. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that, behind a standard shop front, its interior is full of elaborate carpentry and rare, choice timbers.
What to Look For
The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes the Henkotsuya Shop Building facing south onto the Shinmachi-nishi shopping street on an east-west ridge, with a wing extending to the rear. On a corner plot, its front has lean-to roofs along the south and west sides in a standard form.
Inside the Henkotsuya Shop Building are features such as a vaulted ceiling of woven wood strips (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
The current business and interior access of the Henkotsuya Shop Building have not been confirmed; the exterior can be seen from the shopping street. The address is 240-2 Kawahigashi, Kotohira Town, close to the approach to Kotohira-gu.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Kagawa
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Henkotsuya Shop Building
- [ Naoshima Art Island & Kotohiragu Shrine Visit ]
Q&A
- When was it built?
- In the mid-Meiji period, with alterations in the early Showa period (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Where is it?
- On a corner of the Shinmachi-nishi shopping street near Ichinohashi bridge on the Kotohira-gu approach (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What is special inside?
- Elaborate carpentry such as a vaulted woven-wood ceiling and rare timbers (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What does henkotsu mean?
- A stubborn person who hates anything crooked, after the founder (Shichu Navi).
- When was the Henkotsuya Shop Building registered?
- On March 2, 2004.
Basic Information
| Name | Henkotsuya Shop Building (へんこつ屋店舗) |
|---|---|
| Location | 240-2 Kawahigashi, Kotohira Town, Nakatado District, Kagawa Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2004/03/02 (Heisei 16) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, 2 storeys, tiled roof, building area 136 square metres |
| Owner | Not listed in the national database |
| Public Access | Exterior from the shopping street (no interior access information) |
References
- Henkotsuya Shop Building (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00004044
- Henkotsuya (Shichu Navi)
- https://www.shichu.jp/henkotsuya.html
Last verified: 2026.10.11