美しい！家族で香川県の金刀比羅宮
昨日は、家族で香川県の金刀比羅宮（こんぴらぐう）に行ってきた。金刀比羅宮は、日本有数の歴史を誇る神社で、特に航海の守護神として知られているとのことだけれど、じつはまったく知らなく、たまたまGoogleマップで知って行ってみたのだけれど、とっても良かった。
調べると、金刀比羅宮は、航海の守護神として古くから信仰を集めてきた神社で、その歴史はなんと1300年以上にわたり、多くの人々が安全な航海や旅の無事を祈るために参拝。祀られているのは、大物主神（おおものぬしのかみ）という海神様。江戸時代には「お伊勢参り」と並ぶ巡礼先として、全国から多くの人々が訪れましたという。
5歳の息子、小学生、中学生の娘と家族６人、ふらっと訪れたけれど、1300段ほどの登り、往復約1時間30分。本日のメインイベントとしても良いほどの達成感と眺望。
大門をくぐり、785段の石段を登ると、まずは本宮に到着。この時点でもう十分にすばらしい雰囲気なのだけれど、本宮からさらに583段の階段を登ると奥宮が待っている。とくにこの奥宮がパワースポットらしい。
金刀比羅宮。参道から奥宮に至るまでの道のりは、どこも美しく、むしろ自分が感動。子供たちも飽きることなく歩いてたし、体も動かせ、とっても楽しかったみたい！体も動かせ、五感で感じるこういった体験、家族でも引き続き楽しんでいきたい。
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Beautiful! A Family Trip to Konpira Shrine in Kagawa Prefecture
Yesterday, our family visited Konpira Shrine (Kotohira-gu) in Kagawa Prefecture. Konpira Shrine is one of Japan’s most historic shrines, known especially as a guardian deity of maritime safety. Although I hadn’t heard of it before, I found it by chance on Google Maps, and it turned out to be a great visit.
After doing some research, I discovered that Konpira Shrine has been a place of worship for over 1,300 years, attracting people who prayed for safe voyages and successful journeys. The shrine is dedicated to the sea god Ōmononushi no Kami. During the Edo period, it became one of Japan’s top pilgrimage destinations, alongside the famous Ise Shrine.
Our family of six, including our 5-year-old son and elementary and middle school daughters, made a spontaneous visit. The hike up the 1,300 steps, which took about an hour and a half round trip, gave us a great sense of accomplishment and offered stunning views—a perfect main event for the day.
After passing through the main gate and climbing 785 steps, we reached the main shrine (Hongū). The atmosphere here was already amazing, but from there, we climbed an additional 583 steps to reach the inner shrine (Okunomiya), which is said to be a particularly powerful spiritual spot.
The path to Konpira Shrine, especially the journey to the inner shrine, was breathtakingly beautiful, and I found myself deeply moved. The kids enjoyed the walk without getting bored, and it was a great way for us to get some exercise. It seems they had a lot of fun! We plan to continue enjoying experiences like this as a family, where we can be active and engage all our senses.
