Why this ride
From Sakai it runs 169 km to Sakai; allow about 2 h 56 of riding. It goes by way of Horyu-ji Area, Takamatsuzuka Mounded Tomb, Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area and back through Takamatsuzuka Mounded Tomb.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Nisanzai Kofun and Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 169 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 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. Nisanzai Kofun
In the middle of the sprawling city of Sakai, south of Osaka, a large keyhole-shaped mound rises above a ring of moats, covered in dense forest and surrounded by houses, roads and shops. This is the Nisanzai Kofun, a monumental tomb built in the fifth century for a member of the ruling elite of early Japan. It is one of the largest of the Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group, a collection of burial mounds listed by UNESCO in 2019, which includes the enormous Daisen Kofun, traditionally attributed to the emperor Nintoku and one of the largest tombs in the world by area.
Read the complete Nisanzai Kofun write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Nisanzai Kofun is where the day begins. Next is Horyu-ji Area.
2. Hōryū-ji Area
The buildings at Hōryū-ji are around thirteen hundred years old, and some of them are among the oldest wooden structures anywhere in the world. Founded in the early seventh century by Prince Shōtoku, a regent remembered as a champion of Buddhism and a founding figure of the Japanese state, the temple was rebuilt after a fire later in the same century, and parts of that rebuilding still stand. In 1993 it became one of the first sites in Japan to be listed by UNESCO, as the Buddhist Monuments in the Hōryū-ji Area.
Read the complete Horyu-ji Area write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Hōryū-ji Area comes up about 29 km into the recorded legs. Next is Takamatsuzuka Mounded Tomb.
3. Takamatsuzuka Mounded Tomb
The mound itself is easy to miss: a small, round hump of grass in a quiet corner of the Asuka countryside, surrounded by rice fields and persimmon trees. What made it famous is what was inside. In 1972, archaeologists opened a stone chamber here and found painted walls, with women in bright, flowing robes, a procession of men, and the guardian animals of the four directions, among them the Blue Dragon and the White Tiger. The paintings date from around the end of the seventh century or the start of the eighth, and show the strong influence of Korea and China on the early Japanese court. It was the first wall painting of its kind found in Japan and caused a sensation.
Read the complete Takamatsuzuka Mounded Tomb write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 57 km into the recorded legs you reach Takamatsuzuka Mounded Tomb. Next is Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area.
4. Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area
If you want to stand in front of the oldest wooden buildings in the world, this is the place. Hōryū-ji, a Buddhist temple in the town of Ikaruga south-west of Nara, was founded by Prince Shōtoku in the early seventh century, and although it burned and was rebuilt not long after, its central buildings, including the main hall and the five-storey pagoda, date from around the end of the seventh century. They were among the first sites in Japan inscribed by UNESCO, in 1993.
Read the complete Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area, about halfway. Next is back through Takamatsuzuka Mounded Tomb.
5. back through Takamatsuzuka Mounded Tomb
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Takamatsuzuka Mounded Tomb write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Takamatsuzuka Mounded Tomb sits at 107 km, about halfway. Next is back through Horyu-ji Area.
6. back through Horyu-ji Area
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Horyu-ji Area write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Horyu-ji Area comes up about 141 km into the recorded legs. Next is Nisanzai Kofun.
7. Nisanzai Kofun
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Nisanzai Kofun write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Nisanzai Kofun closes the day.
Leg by leg
Nisanzai Kofun to Horyu-ji Area
Nisanzai Kofun → Horyu-ji Area is 29 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Hōryū-ji Area to Takamatsuzuka Mounded Tomb
Hōryū-ji Area → Takamatsuzuka Mounded Tomb is 28 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Takamatsuzuka Mounded Tomb to Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area
Takamatsuzuka Mounded Tomb → Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area is 28 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area to back through Takamatsuzuka Mounded Tomb
Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area → back through Takamatsuzuka Mounded Tomb is 28 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Takamatsuzuka Mounded Tomb to back through Horyu-ji Area
back through Takamatsuzuka Mounded Tomb → back through Horyu-ji Area is 28 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Horyu-ji Area to Nisanzai Kofun
back through Horyu-ji Area → Nisanzai Kofun is 29 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.