Why this ride
From Kashihara it runs 134 km to Kashihara; allow about 2 h 52 of riding. The stops in between: Tôdai-ji, Daigo-ji and back through Tôdai-ji. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Otorizuka Kofun and Daigo-ji
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 134 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 52
- 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. Otorizuka Kofun
Otorizuka is a small mound, and its name, which seems to mean the bird mound, is lovely. What I do know is the setting: a plain south-east of Osaka that holds one of the greatest concentrations of burial mounds in the world, in the Furuichi group, and a small mound like this is part of the supporting cast, a tomb for a person of lower rank who wished to lie near a king.
Read the complete Otorizuka Kofun write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Otorizuka Kofun is where the day begins. Next is Tôdai-ji.
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 32 km into the recorded legs. Next is Daigo-ji.
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 Tôdai-ji.
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 Otorizuka Kofun.
5. Otorizuka Kofun
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Otorizuka Kofun write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Otorizuka Kofun. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Otorizuka Kofun to Tôdai-ji
Otorizuka Kofun → Tôdai-ji is 32 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Tôdai-ji to Daigo-ji
Tôdai-ji → Daigo-ji is 35 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Daigo-ji to back through Tôdai-ji
Daigo-ji → back through Tôdai-ji is 35 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Tôdai-ji to Otorizuka Kofun
back through Tôdai-ji → Otorizuka Kofun is 32 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.