Sanuki Kokubun-ji

What makes this place special?

At a Glance

Sanuki Kokubun-ji is a historic Buddhist temple in Takamatsu, Kagawa, and Temple 80 of the Shikoku 88 pilgrimage. Founded in 741 and linked to Gyōki, it preserves major cultural assets and stands on the site of the former provincial temple.

Ancient Curious Temples Historic Important Cultural Property Pilgrimage

Why you should go

1

For pilgrims unable to complete all 88 temples, Sanuki Kokubunji offers a shortcut: 88 stone steles representing each temple stand on the grounds, allowing visitors to symbolically complete the journey in one stop.

2

Building the temple's original 900-meter roofed mud wall required approximately 20,000 workers, who compacted layers of soil by hand to create the distinctive puff pastry-like striations still visible today.