A Traffic-Geographical Inquiry of Konpira Lanterns

Abstract

1. Konpira Lanterns are the lanterns made of stone or metal dedicated by the worshippers of the Kotohira Shrine which lies at Kotohira, Nakatado District, Kagawa Prefecture. These lanterns, set along the highways of the worshippers and in the precincts of the Shrine, were once used for illumination and also kept as a remembrance of their pilgrimage to the Shrine.As there are inscribed on each lantern the name, the shop name and the dwelling place of the dedicator, and the date of his dedication, its investigation enables us to conjecture the state of traffic in old days.2. The subject of this investigation is chiefly about 328 Konpira Lanterns (excepting ones in the precincts of the Shrine) which are still existent in large numbers in the 10th year of Showa (1935) along each highway in the environs of Kotohira.Judging from the distribution of the lanterns, there ran radiately, with Kotohira as the center, five old highways-the Marugame highway and the Tadotsu highway in the north, the Iyo highway in the west, the Awa highway in the south and the Takamatsu highway in the east. These and the distribution of the lanterns on each are as follows:3. The most important of these highways was the Marugame highway. The distribution of the dedicators shows that this highway was passed by the worshippers in the wide area of the Pacific side of Japan, east of Bicchu (Okayama Prefecture). Marugame port prospered as the landing place of these worshippers.The Tadotsu highway ranked second. It was passed by the worshippers landing at Tadotsu port, on the Pacific side of Japan, west of Bingo (Hiroshima Prefecture) and on the coast of Japan Sea, having Tadotsu port as their landing place. Marugame port and Tadotsu port, though they were 4km. away from each other, coexisted and coprospered, because they had their own traffic route. But there were prosperity and decline on each port. Marugame port first prospered and Tadotsu port, flourishing next, usurped the prosperity of Marugame port.The Iyo highway was passed by the worshippers in Seisan (the western part of Kagawa Prefecture), in Iyo (Ehime Prefecture) and Tosa (Kochi Prefecture), the Awa highway by those in Awa (Tokushima Prefecture), and the Takamatsu highway by those in Tosan (the eastern part of Kagawa Prefectue). The last two highways were only the country roads.4. Most of the dedicators are private persons and parties that are called “Ko”, the group of the worshippers. According to the classification of occupations, fishermen and boatmen stand foremost on each highway. This is chiefly because the Kotohira Shrine is conserated to the God of the Sea. It seems that the Kotohira Shrine had also a great influence on the belief of the populace, and on the main road, the Marugame highway, are found many lanterns offered by people of all classes-warriors, farmers, craftmen and merchants.5. As for the date of the dedicatory lanterns, the lantern dated “the 7th year of Genroku (1694)”, which is the oldest, stands on the by-road of the Marugame highway. With the change of the times they increase in number. So it is supposed that “Konpiramairi”, a pilgrimage to the Kotohira Shrine, was very popular at the latter period of the Edo era.The latest date of the lanterns, though it differs on each highway, is about the 10th year of Meiji (1877). After that new roads, the New Awa highway foremost, began to be opened one after another, and besides, when the railway was constructed between Marugame and Kotohira in the 22nd year of Meiji (1889), the traffic route to the Kotohira Shrine underwent a complete change.