Sacred Places, Pilgrimage, and Tourism - Geography of Religion in Japan: Religious Space, Landscape, and Behavior - page 136

Fig. 4.4 Changes in number of religious associations that used Inn A every January, 1975-2005
(The guest topic of Inn A). Notes: (1) Used only for dinner. (2) Used for accommodation, which
included both dinner and breakfast. (3) Used only for lunch
transportation improved when railroads opened, (2) discontinuation of a send-
atsu , (3) dilution of the unity within the region, (4) aging of the representative
and a shortage of younger members, and (5) restricted parking space at
Monzenmachi inns. Along with the decrease in the number of ko , a decrease in
the number of ko members occurred, and the average number of members per
association was about 50. However, some ko were newly organized by the lead-
ers of a region, and their subsequent nature differed from that of older ko .
(2) Changes in the Use of Inns by ko
The number of accommodation facilities at Monzenmachi decreased as modern
transportation networks developed. This is particularly related to the decrease
in the number of ko , and to changes in the form of ko worship. According to
Shinozaki ( 2003 ), 61 regular inns that housed religious ko members existed in
1885, whereas by 2003, only 13 hotels remained. The regular inns have a plac-
ard on which the name of the ko and members is posted.
This section will discuss the change in the number of ko that used Inn A every
January from 1979 to 2005 (shown in Fig. 4.4 ), which ko chose Inn A, and which