Photo/Illutration Kotohira-gu shrine, popularly known as Konpira-san, is located on the wooded slope of Mount Zouzu in Kotohira, Kagawa Prefecture. It is the main shrine of multiple Konpira shrines found around Japan that are dedicated to seafarers. (Photo by Lisa Vogt)

A classic Japanese party song goes, “Konpira fune-fune, oite ni hokakete, shura shu-shu-shu!”

In old samurai movies, geisha and maiko play a fun, rhythmic singing party game with wealthy merchants and bureaucrats of the time. The person who loses must chug-a-lug, and of course, it’s the patron footing the bill who always loses and ends up drinking a lot more than they should. That’s the name of the game, each person plays their part, and everyone goes home happy.

Two musts when in Kagawa Prefecture are devouring authentic Sanuki “udon” (Kagawa used to be called Sanuki) and making a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Kotohira shrine. The first part was a cakewalk, I mean, udon walk. I slurped the noodles down easy-peasy, and oh, they were so yum! The second, Kotohira-gu, aka Konpira-san, was a different kettle of fish.

Speaking of seafood, the destination shrine is dedicated to Konpira Gongen, a Shugendo guardian deity of seafarers. I think Konpira has a nice, cutesy ring to it, and to my ears, it doesn’t sound Japanese. A prevailing theory is that it came from the Sanskrit “Kumbhira,” a crocodile that becomes a god of water, which later morphs into a dragon god.

Konpira-san consists of several shrines on Mount Zouzu, or elephant head. It takes a tad bit of determination and strong legs and lungs to reach the inner shrine because you have to climb up 1,368 steps. Crocodiles and elephants? How intriguing, and why in the world would this place, so high up in the mountains, enshrine a god for sailors?

I asked about this at the counter that sold amulets and was told that boats out on the water before compasses were made looked for the mountain, which resembles the shape of a flattened musical instrument, koto, as a landmark. Seafarers who navigated the dangerous seas came to revere it as their guide. Ah, that makes sense.

At the 500th step on the way up to the sacred shrine, I came to a somewhat unbefitting modern glass-and-marble Kamitsubaki cafe and restaurant. The food and beverages are supplied by famous Tokyo Ginza Shiseido Parlour. While the thought of a sweet fruit parfait didn’t sound half bad, I couldn’t help but think, why here? It turns out that there was an ancient teahouse built here in 1797, which was, let’s say, in need of an update. The cultural adviser to the shrine approached the president of Shiseido and shazam.

Playfully cherished and adored through the ages by people in all walks of life, Konpira-san’s diversity knows no bounds.

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This article by Lisa Vogt, a Washington-born and Tokyo-based photographer, originally appeared in the March 6 issue of Asahi Weekly. It is part of the series "Lisa’s Wanderings Around Japan," which depicts various places across the country through the perspective of the author, a professor at Meiji University.

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