Nishiumazuka Kofun and Tôdai-ji

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Nishiumazuka Kofun

   The name Nishiumazuka means west horse mound, and horses do figure in the story of the Furuichi tombs. Excavations around the giant tomb of Emperor Ojin turned up harness fittings and even buried horses in nearby tombs, and historians read this as a sign of the new cavalry culture arriving in Japan from the Korean peninsula in the fifth century. Horses meant armies, and armies meant a different kind of kingship, which is the story these mounds tell if you read them closely.

   Read the complete Nishiumazuka Kofun write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Nishiumazuka Kofun is where the day begins. Next is Horyu-ji Area.

2. 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 18 km into the recorded legs. Next is Tôdai-ji.

3. 3. Tôdai-ji

   Nothing quite prepares you for the scale of Tōdai-ji. You walk through the great Nandaimon gate, past two fierce wooden guardian kings carved in the thirteenth century by Unkei, Kaikei and their workshop, and there it is: the Daibutsuden, the Great Buddha Hall, for centuries the largest wooden building in the world, even though the current structure, rebuilt in the early eighteenth century, is smaller than the original. Inside sits the Daibutsu, a bronze Buddha some fifteen metres tall, commissioned by Emperor Shōmu and consecrated in 752 with a ceremony that drew monks from as far away as India. The temple is part of the UNESCO listing of Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara.

   Read the complete Tôdai-ji write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   about 35 km into the recorded legs you reach Tôdai-ji. Next is back through Horyu-ji Area.

4. 4. 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, late in the day. Next is Nishiumazuka Kofun.

5. 5. Nishiumazuka Kofun

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Nishiumazuka Kofun write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Back at Nishiumazuka Kofun. That is the ride.