Komuroyama Kofun and Daigo-ji

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Komuroyama Kofun

   Komuroyama belongs to the dense scatter of tombs on the Furuichi side of the Mozu-Furuichi group, in the part of southern Osaka where Habikino, Fujiidera and Matsubara run into one another. It is a modest mound in a district where the large tombs get all the attention, and most visitors pass it with a glance. That is probably the best way to understand the whole group: not as a set of monuments but as a landscape, where hills of earth, ponds, railway lines and houses all share the same plain.

   Read the complete Komuroyama Kofun write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Komuroyama Kofun is where the day begins. Next is Kasuga-Taisha and Kasugayama Primeval Fore.

2. 2. Kasuga-Taisha and Kasugayama Primeval Fore

   Kasugayama is a forest that has been protected since the ninth century, which is why it feels different from any other woodland in the region. Hunting and logging were banned here in 841, because the hill is sacred to the Kasuga shrine, and the result is a primeval stand of cedar, cypress, oak and evergreens on the slopes just east of Nara. Deer roam through it, as they do through the park below, and in autumn their calls echo through the trees. In the shrine's grounds, thousands of stone lanterns line the paths, donated by worshippers over the centuries, and thousands of bronze lanterns hang from the eaves, lit twice a year during the lantern festivals.

   Read the complete Kasuga-Taisha and Kasugayama Primeval Fore write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Kasuga-Taisha and Kasugayama Primeval Fore comes up about 31 km into the recorded legs. Next is Daigo-ji.

3. 3. Daigo-ji

   The oldest building in Kyoto does not stand in the city centre but in the southeastern hills, at the temple of Daigo-ji: a five storey pagoda completed in 951, which has survived fires, earthquakes and wars that destroyed almost everything else of its age in the city. The temple was founded in the ninth century on Mount Daigo, and its grounds spread from the foot of the mountain to the summit, linked by a steep path, with halls, gardens and sub temples along the way. It is part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto World Heritage Site.

   Read the complete Daigo-ji write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   about 67 km into the recorded legs you reach Daigo-ji. Next is back through Kasuga-Taisha and Kasugayama Primeval Fore.

4. 4. back through Kasuga-Taisha and Kasugayama Primeval Fore

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Kasuga-Taisha and Kasugayama Primeval Fore write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Kasuga-Taisha and Kasugayama Primeval Fore, late in the day. Next is Komuroyama Kofun.

5. 5. Komuroyama Kofun

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Komuroyama Kofun write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Back at Komuroyama Kofun. That is the ride.