Why this ride
104 km from Kashihara to Kashihara, about 1 h 56 of riding. The stops in between: Maruhoyama Kofun, Yakushi-ji and back through Maruhoyama Kofun. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Ingyo-tenno-ryo Kofun and Yakushi-ji
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 104 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 1 h 56
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Ingyo-tenno-ryo Kofun
The tomb attributed to Emperor Ingyo stands in Fujiidera, in the eastern suburbs of Osaka, and it belongs to the Furuichi group of kofun, the other half of the World Heritage site shared with Sakai's Mozu tombs. It is a large keyhole-shaped mound, wooded and surrounded by a moat, and like all imperial tombs it is managed by the Imperial Household Agency and closed to visitors. Scholars debate whether the attributions to specific emperors are accurate, since they were made long after the tombs were built, but the scale of the monuments speaks for itself. Nearby, the tomb attributed to Emperor Ojin, Kondagobyoyama, is the second largest in Japan by volume.
Read the complete Ingyo-tenno-ryo Kofun write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Ingyo-tenno-ryo Kofun is where the day begins. Next is Maruhoyama Kofun.
2. Maruhoyama Kofun
Look at a satellite photograph of the city of Sakai and you will see something odd. Among the grey grid of roofs lie dark green shapes, some shaped like keyholes, ringed by water, sitting between houses and rail lines as if the city were growing around them. These are the Mozu kofun, great burial mounds raised for the rulers of the Yamato kingdom in the fifth century, and they form the western half of the Mozu-Furuichi group that was inscribed as World Heritage in 2019. The largest, the Daisen Kofun, is traditionally attributed to Emperor Nintoku and is one of the biggest tombs in the world by area, about half a kilometre long.
Read the complete Maruhoyama Kofun write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Maruhoyama Kofun comes up about 14 km into the recorded legs. Next is Yakushi-ji.
3. Yakushi-ji
Yakushi-ji is one of the great temples of Nara, the capital of Japan in the eighth century. It was founded by Emperor Tenmu in the late seventh century, praying for the recovery of his ill empress, and moved to its present site when the capital moved to Nara in 710. Dedicated to Yakushi Nyorai, the Buddha of healing, it is part of the UNESCO-listed Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara. The East Pagoda, which has stood since the eighth century, is one of the few surviving buildings from that era, and its layered roofs, with smaller roofs between each storey, create a rhythm described by one admirer as frozen music.
Read the complete Yakushi-ji write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 52 km into the recorded legs you reach Yakushi-ji. Next is back through Maruhoyama Kofun.
4. back through Maruhoyama Kofun
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Maruhoyama Kofun write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Maruhoyama Kofun, late in the day. Next is Ingyo-tenno-ryo Kofun.
5. Ingyo-tenno-ryo Kofun
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Ingyo-tenno-ryo Kofun write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Ingyo-tenno-ryo Kofun. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Ingyo-tenno-ryo Kofun to Maruhoyama Kofun
Ingyo-tenno-ryo Kofun → Maruhoyama Kofun is 14 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Maruhoyama Kofun to Yakushi-ji
Maruhoyama Kofun → Yakushi-ji is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Yakushi-ji to back through Maruhoyama Kofun
Yakushi-ji → back through Maruhoyama Kofun is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Maruhoyama Kofun to Ingyo-tenno-ryo Kofun
back through Maruhoyama Kofun → Ingyo-tenno-ryo Kofun is 14 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.