Kurajuin Temple Fountain

Zoushuin Maikomi-izumi: A Rare Spiral Well Hidden in Tokushima's Sacred Grounds

Tucked away within the tranquil temple precincts of Zoushuin in the Kokufu district of Tokushima City lies one of western Japan's most unusual water heritage sites. Known as the Maikomi-izumi, literally the "winding-down spring," this Edo-period spiral well is shaped like an enormous funnel sunk into the earth, with a stone path that curls gently down to its watery heart. Registered as a National Tangible Cultural Property in October 2021, it stands as an extraordinary testament to local ingenuity and the enduring craftsmanship of Awa Province.

A Vanishing Form of Water Heritage

To stand at the rim of the Maikomi-izumi is to peer into a world rarely seen in modern Japan. The well takes the shape of a vast bowl carved into the level ground in front of Zoushuin's main hall. Measuring roughly six meters across at the surface and descending some 4.3 meters into the earth, it terminates in a small, deep cylindrical wellhead about 0.8 meters in diameter at its center. A narrow spiral path winds along its inner wall, allowing visitors to walk physically down to the water's source rather than drawing it up by rope and bucket.

This unusual style is sometimes called a maimaizu well, a name derived from "maimai," an old Japanese word for snail, in reference to the spiral shape that recalls a snail's shell. Such wells are most often associated with the Musashino Plateau in the Kanto region, where the deep groundwater table once made conventional shaft wells impractical. Surviving examples in western Japan are exceedingly few, which is precisely why the Maikomi-izumi at Zoushuin holds such scholarly and cultural significance.

Why It Was Designated a National Cultural Property

The Maikomi-izumi was added to the national register of tangible cultural properties on October 14, 2021, recognizing both its rarity and the quality of its construction. Several factors weighed in favor of its designation.

Highlights for Visitors

Around the Neighborhood

The Kokufu district takes its name from the ancient provincial capital of Awa, and it remains one of the richest concentrations of cultural heritage in Tokushima City. Within a short distance of Zoushuin, visitors may explore four of the eighty-eight sacred temples of the Shikoku Pilgrimage:

• Joraku-ji, the fourteenth pilgrimage temple, known for its dramatic rocky precincts.
• Awa Kokubun-ji, the fifteenth temple, founded in the eighth century as the provincial monastery of Awa.
• Kannon-ji, the sixteenth temple, with origins in the early Heian period.
• Ido-ji, the seventeenth temple, famous for a sacred well from which it takes its name.

Other nearby destinations include Ōmiwa Jinja, also called Fuchu-no-miya, a venerable shrine with deep ties to the provincial government of ancient Awa, as well as the Awa Historical Sites Park and the Tokushima City Archaeological Museum, both of which offer rewarding context for understanding the layered history that surrounds Zoushuin.

Practical Guidance for Visitors

Zoushuin is a working temple, and the Maikomi-izumi is part of its sacred grounds. Visitors are kindly asked to remain quiet, refrain from descending into the well, and behave with the same courtesy that would be expected at any place of worship. Photography for personal use is generally tolerated, but flash and tripods should be avoided out of respect for other worshippers. The well no longer holds water, so there is no risk of falling into a pool, but the stone surfaces can be slippery after rain and care should be taken near the rim.