Ojin-tenno-ryo Kofun and Daigo-ji

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Ojin-tenno-ryo Kofun

   Emperor Ojin's tomb is the largest in Japan by volume, even if the Nintoku tomb near Sakai is longer, and it feels it. The mound is some four hundred metres long, a keyhole of earth with a double moat that holds water the colour of old jade, and the whole thing is so overgrown it reads from a distance as a wooded hill dropped into a town. Only the imperial household agency decides who sets foot on the mound, which means nobody does. What you get is a path around the outside, a worship platform at the front, and a very particular kind of silence.

   Read the complete Ojin-tenno-ryo Kofun write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Ojin-tenno-ryo Kofun is where the day begins. Next is Tôdai-ji.

2. 2. 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

   Tôdai-ji 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 66 km into the recorded legs you reach Daigo-ji. Next is back through Tôdai-ji.

4. 4. back through Tôdai-ji

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   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

   back through Tôdai-ji, late in the day. Next is Ojin-tenno-ryo Kofun.

5. 5. Ojin-tenno-ryo Kofun

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Ojin-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 Ojin-tenno-ryo Kofun. That is the ride.