Konpira Udon Sando Shop (former Sakuraya Ryokan)

A Meiji Pilgrims' Inn on the Kotohira Approach

The Konpira Udon Sando Shop (former Sakuraya Ryokan) (こんぴらうどん参道店（旧櫻屋旅館）) is a two-storey timber former inn of the early Meiji period in Kawanishi, Kotohira Town, Nakatado District, Kagawa Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on March 18, 2003. It stands on the eastern approach to Kotohiragu Shrine (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency for Cultural Affairs records it as a two-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a building area of 120 square metres; registration number 37-0156, owned by Konpira Udon Co., Ltd.

From Inn to Restaurant

According to the Agency, the building was an inn later converted into a restaurant, but it keeps inn-like details such as the upper-floor balustrade carved with flowers and plants.

Facing the approach used by pilgrims to Kotohiragu, it recalls the inns of the shrine town of Kotohira (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Why It Was Registered

The Konpira Udon Sando Shop was registered as a building that contributes to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that it forms part of the streetscape of the eastern approach to Kotohiragu.

What to Look For

The Konpira Udon Sando Shop stands on a corner with streets to the south and east, two storeys of timber with its entrance on the long south side. The pantile roof is hip-and-gable (Irimoya-zukuri) at the east end and gabled (Kirizuma-zukuri) at the west (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The flower carvings on the upper balustrade keep the decorative spirit of an inn (Agency for Cultural Affairs). On its corner site, both the south front and the east gable can be seen from the approach.

Visiting the Konpira Udon Sando Shop

The Konpira Udon Sando Shop operates as an udon restaurant, so you can go inside as a customer. Check opening hours with the shop. The address is 810-3 Kawanishi, Kotohira Town.