Why this ride
177 km from Kashihara-shi to Kashihara-shi, about 3 h 18 of riding. On the way it passes Hakuchoryo Kofun, Yakushi-ji, Byodo-in and back through Yakushi-ji. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Kengoshizuka Mounded Tomb and Byodo-in
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 177 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 18
- 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. Kengoshizuka Mounded Tomb
In the gentle hills of Asuka, south of Nara, the first capitals of Japan rose and fell in the sixth and seventh centuries, and the land is still dotted with the tombs of the powerful. Kengoshizuka is one of them, a mound on a low ridge that excavations revealed to be octagonal in shape, a form used for imperial tombs in that period. Inside were found twin burial chambers cut from stone, and many scholars believe it to be the tomb of Empress Saimei, who reigned twice in the seventh century, with her daughter buried beside her. Restoration work in recent years has given the mound back its original shape, faced with stones, so it is far more legible than many overgrown kofun.
Read the complete Kengoshizuka Mounded Tomb write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Kengoshizuka Mounded Tomb is where the day begins. Next is Hakuchoryo Kofun.
2. Hakuchoryo Kofun
South-east of Osaka, on the plain where the rivers of the Yamato basin spill out toward the bay, the land is dotted with enormous green islands. They are kofun, the keyhole-shaped burial mounds that the ruling clans of Japan raised in the fourth to sixth centuries, and the cluster at Furuichi is one of the two big groups that were inscribed as World Heritage in 2019, the Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group. Hakuchoryo is among them, traditionally held to be the tomb of Prince Yamato Takeru, a hero of the ancient chronicles.
Read the complete Hakuchoryo Kofun write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Hakuchoryo Kofun comes up about 26 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 54 km into the recorded legs you reach Yakushi-ji. Next is Byodo-in.
4. Byōdō-in
Take a ten-yen coin out of your pocket in Japan and you are holding a picture of this place. The Phoenix Hall of the Byōdō-in in Uji, with its wings stretching out on either side of a central hall and bronze phoenixes on the roof, is one of the most famous buildings in the country. It was built in 1053 by Fujiwara no Yorimichi, a member of the most powerful aristocratic family of the Heian period, who converted his father's villa into a Buddhist temple. Its reflection in the pond in front was meant to evoke the Pure Land paradise of the Amida Buddha.
Read the complete Byodo-in write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Byodo-in, about halfway. Next is back through Yakushi-ji.
5. back through Yakushi-ji
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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
back through Yakushi-ji sits at 117 km, about halfway. Next is back through Hakuchoryo Kofun.
6. back through Hakuchoryo Kofun
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Hakuchoryo Kofun write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Hakuchoryo Kofun comes up about 150 km into the recorded legs. Next is Kengoshizuka Mounded Tomb.
7. Kengoshizuka Mounded Tomb
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Kengoshizuka Mounded Tomb write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Kengoshizuka Mounded Tomb closes the day.
Leg by leg
Kengoshizuka Mounded Tomb to Hakuchoryo Kofun
Kengoshizuka Mounded Tomb → Hakuchoryo Kofun is 26 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Hakuchoryo Kofun to Yakushi-ji
Hakuchoryo Kofun → Yakushi-ji is 28 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Yakushi-ji to Byodo-in
Yakushi-ji → Byodo-in is 33 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Byōdō-in to back through Yakushi-ji
Byōdō-in → back through Yakushi-ji is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Yakushi-ji to back through Hakuchoryo Kofun
back through Yakushi-ji → back through Hakuchoryo Kofun is 29 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Hakuchoryo Kofun to Kengoshizuka Mounded Tomb
back through Hakuchoryo Kofun → Kengoshizuka Mounded Tomb is 26 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.