Road Along the Old National Highway

Nearby sightseeing spots

• 1

  Starting point

  The route starts at the Sekinohara bus stop, located at the intersection with Route 11, which is roughly 200 meters away from the Sekinoto Pass.

• 2

  Chitaru Shrine

  Chitaru Shrine is located at the foot of the mountain about 300 meters from the course, across the red parapet bridge over the Matsuyama Expressway. The eldest son of the Manabe, Manabe Toyohira, who was born in 1809, at the end of the Edo period, was a famous poet. He also restored single-stringed harp and did research in Japanese Linguistics. He had about 1,800 disciples.

• 3

  Sando Guri Daishido Hall

  The Sando Guri Daishido is called Mikuriyama Jizoin and has an interesting back story. Long time ago, Kobo Daishi passed by this route and met some children who gave him a chestnut. As a token of gratitude Kobo Daishi offered them water chestnut three times a year for eternity. That’s what the name of Daishido hall suggests.

• 4

  Intersection with National Highway 11

  Shikoku no michi crosses national highway 11 near the Kinogawa bus stop. The sharp angle of the intersection requires caution since many vehicles ram into the road before slowing down. Use he signal push button when crossing.

• 5

  Enmeiji Temple

  Enmeiji Temple is temple No 12 of the 20 sacred places in Shikoku and is well known for the legendary Izari-matsu pine tree said to be planted by Kobo Daishi. The distance between Maegamiji Temple No. 64 to Sankakuji Temple No. 65 is about 40 km. Visitors prefer to take a break at the Enmeiji Temple, which is located almost halfway between the two temples. Unfortunately, the huge pine tree “Doi no Izari-matsu” perished in 1968, leaving only its trunk as a mere reminder of its era. A charm binding by Kobo Daishi is still available at the temple. Many visitors seek these charms which are said to be beneficial for healing illnesses and ensuring safe childbirth if sipped while praying in the morning and evening.

• 6

  Ruins of Kondo Tokuzan's birthplace

  Kondo Tokuzan was born in 1767 in Kobayashi Village, Uma County (present-day Kobayashi, Doi-cho, Shikokuchuo City). Tokuzan was invited to teach Yorichika Hitotsuyanagi, the 7th lord of the Komatsu domain in 1803. Tokuzan maintained the clan school and also established a private school within the clan's mansion and was widely known as Iyo Saint.

• 7

  Murayama Shrine

  This shrine is the only one in Shikokuchuo and one of the most prominent shrines in the prefecture, dating back more than 1,000 years. The imperial family and the Kono clan, the feudal lord of Iyo would highly honor the shrine back in time and the shrine was thriving. People from 33 countries in the western part of Japan used to call this Murayama Shrine "Shimo-sangyu", which means a visit to the shrine as a substitute for Ise Jingu Shrine. The shrine was one of the six prayer halls of the Saijo clan during the Edo period. The temple grounds are surrounded by a huge treasure said to be the Imperial mausoleum of Emperor Saimei at the time of his relief mission to Kudara (Korean) Restoration War, and the atmosphere is solemn.

• 8

  End point

  This is the end point of the tour. This point is just over 3 km away from the Toyoda bus stop, the starting point of the next course.