Walking in Kashihara ~NOV,2024~

Kashihara Shrine is located at the foot of Mount Unebi, one of the three mountains of Yamato, and enshrines the first Emperor Jimmu. It was founded in 1890, and it is quite recent. If you go up the foot of Mount Unebi about 1.5km north from there, you will find the tomb of Emperor Jimmu. At the end of the Edo period, Emperor Komei identified an ancient small circular tumulus as the tomb of Emperor Jimmu and developed a mausoleum there. The Nihon Shoki describes it as "on the white oak tree, north of Mount Unebi," and the Kojiki describes it as "the tomb in the northeast of Mount Unebi," but the truth of the matter, including the theory that the emperor himself actually existed, is still a mystery. Research into the origins of the imperial line and the origins of Japan is still in progress, but I feel that the tendency to underestimate or ignore ancient Japanese history as a reaction to the prewar period has decreased in recent years, and scientific approaches have become more common.

As a verification institution for ancient history, the Nara Prefectural Kashihara Archaeological Institute has led excavation surveys mainly in Nara, and its attached museum is adjacent to Kashihara Shrine. The permanent exhibition is overwhelming with a wealth of exhibits excavated from the Nara Basin from the Jomon period to the Yayoi and Kofun periods, but this time, a special exhibition was held on armor from the Kofun period. Japan is a volcanic country with a lot of acidic soil, so it is generally difficult to preserve buried objects such as metal and bones, but there was an exhibition of armor from the Kofun period, mainly from Nara Prefecture, as well as armor excavated from Kyushu and Kanto, which was interesting as it told the story of the Yamato dynasty's unification of the country. There was also wooden armor from the 2nd century, which is before the time of Himiko.

Throughout the Jomon period, the Nara Basin was a large lake, but about 2,600 years ago, the area around Kamenose, which is on the border between the Ikoma and Kongo mountains, collapsed. The water from the lake gradually flowed towards Osaka (Kawachi), and by the Kofun period the lake had disappeared, leaving it in a state close to what it is today. The ruins from the Jomon and Yayoi periods exist in a form that surrounds this ancient lake. Lake Kawachi, which was a brackish lake at the time, gradually became shallower and disappeared, and the Osaka Plain was formed.

The prewar Emperor Jimmu's accession to the throne is estimated to have been in 660 BC, and this year (2024) will be the 2684th year of the Imperial calendar, but geologically, Emperor Jimmu ascended to the throne near a large lake. In response to this, ancient history researcher Hiroaki Nagahama makes an interesting deduction in his book "The Birth of Japan," published five years ago. He believes that Emperor Jimmu ascended to the throne in 70 BC, and that this is because Japan adopted the "Spring and Autumn Years" (a year was counted twice, in spring and autumn) until the time of Emperor Kinmei (the latter half of the 6th century). He faithfully reads the account of Emperor Jimmu's Eastern Expedition (the process of leaving Hyuga and entering Yamato) written in the Nihon Shoki, unravels the process of entering Yamato from Osaka Bay via Lake Kawachi, and argues that the timing of the Eastern Expedition around the time of the birth of Christ is appropriate based on the topographical changes of Osaka Bay and Lake Kawachi. He holds a master's degree from Tokyo Institute of Technology and has worked as an architect for a company, and I agree with his emphasis on the importance of a scientific approach to historical research.

Following my visit to Nagaoka-kyo last month, I visited the remains of the Imperial Palace of Fujiwara-kyo. Emperor Tenmu, who won the Jinshin War, adopted the grid system of the Tang Dynasty and embarked on the construction of the capital, but his successor and Empress Jito moved the capital, and it remained the capital for 16 years until the next Emperor Genmei moved it to Heijo-kyo. The Imperial Palace is located within the Yamato Sanzan mountains and covers a vast area, but it seems that 3 million cosmos flowers were in full bloom a month ago (late October), so I chose the wrong time to come. It is located within the Yamato Sanzan triangle and is a place that exudes great power, but it is said that the reason the capital was short-lived was because there were many springs and poorly drained swamps, and because Fujiwara no Fuhito abhorred ties to the Soga clan and other powerful Yamato clans.

In fact, there is Soganimasusogatsuhiko Shrine in the northern part of Kashihara city, and it is highly likely that this area was under the control of the Soga clan.

Nearby is Iruka Shrine, the only one in the country that enshrines Soga no Iruka. The Meiji government instructed the shrine to change its name because it was inappropriate to enshrine the traitor Iruka, but the local residents refused. What a nice story.

Next to the ruins of Fujiwara Palace stands Uneo Tsutamoto Shrine, mentioned in a Man'yoshu poem lamenting Prince Takaichi's illness, and local parishioners were sweeping the grounds. Prince Takaichi was the eldest son of Emperor Tenmu and played a major role in the Jinshin War, but his mother's origins were lowly, so he could not become the emperor's successor and instead supported the Tenmu government as Grand Minister of State. His son, Prince Nagaya, was ousted by Fujiwara no Fuhito's four children, and he engaged in imperial politics in opposition to the Fujiwara clan.

Yakushiji Temple, one of the tourist spots in Nishinokyo, was originally the Yakushiji Temple of Fujiwara-kyo, and now only a group of huge foundation stones remain. The temple that remained here continued to exist as Hon-Yakushiji Temple, but it seems to have been abandoned in the early 11th century (during the time of Fujiwara no Michinaga). The temple is not in a very good condition, and the foundation stones of the eastern and western pagodas are still left in the nearby rice fields, and there is no place to park a car, which was a shame. In the Nara Basin, you always have to be careful about securing parking spaces, but not only parking, but also driving is difficult because there are many narrow roads. I wonder if the development of road infrastructure is delayed due to frequent archaeological excavations, or if the organization of landowners is complicated and not progressing, but I always think that it would be good to prepare small EVs for tourists in areas like this. It's too big to get around by bicycle.

Ofusa Kannon is famous for its rose garden, but I went out of season and it was covered in red lanterns. It is a new temple built in the early Edo period in an area with many ancient temples. It is said that the temple was founded when a young girl named Ofusa was walking by a pond when Kannon appeared riding a white turtle and built a hall. Even though there are no magnificent temples or Buddhas like those featured in Tetsuro Watsuji's "Pilgrimage to Ancient Temples," the temples of Nara are peaceful.