Autumn Yamatoji (Yamanobe-no-michi this year) ~OCT,2025~

The Yamanobe Road is said to be the oldest official road in Japan, and runs along the mountain edge on the southeastern edge of the Nara Basin. The reason it is on a slightly elevated area is that much of the Nara Basin was wetland and swampland during the Kofun period, and going back even further, it was a lake during the Jomon period. The ancient tombs and shrines along the road tell the story of this area being the birthplace of the Yamato nation, and it's fun to walk along it while recounting the anecdotes from the Nihon Shoki and the Kojiki. The Yamato Basin spreads out below, and beyond that are the Ikoma and Kongo mountains.

This time, we first visited Hashihaka Tomb, which is thought to be the tomb of Himiko. It is a 278m long keyhole-shaped tomb that is believed to have been built in the mid to late 3rd century. Recently, there has been a surge in dating approaches using carbon-14 dating to determine the shape and wood of excavated Haji ware and haniwa, and the era-specific shapes of keyhole-shaped tombs have also helped narrow down the construction date.  

The Imperial Household Agency identifies the tomb as that of Yamatototohimomosohime-no-Mikoto, daughter of Emperor Korei, the seventh emperor of Japan. However, according to the Nihon Shoki, her husband was Omononushi-no-Mikoto, the deity of Izumo who ceded the country to the Yamato royal authority, and is enshrined at Omiwa Shrine, with Mount Miwa as its sacred object. According to the Shoki, upon seeing the image of Omononushi-no-Mikoto (a small white snake), she stabbed herself in the genitals with chopsticks, feeling that she had humiliated him. At first glance, it seems odd that a keyhole-shaped tumulus of this size would be built in the third century for the tomb of a single princess. Regardless of whether she was Himiko or not, it is likely that she, along with Miwa-no-Mikoto, played a key role in the rise of the Yamato royal authority.

Pottery excavated by the Kashihara Archaeological Institute a few years ago appears to have been made from both local and Kibi region artifacts. Later, the 10th Emperor Sujin dispatched four generals to unify Japan, and one of them, Kibitsuhiko-no-Mikoto, was dispatched to the Kibi region. He was the full brother of Yamatototohimomosohime-no-Mikoto. The Nihon Shoki records the history from the second Emperor Suizei to the ninth Emperor Kaika in a simplified manner, and they are known as the "eight missing generations," and their existence is generally doubted. However, we hope that this mystery will continue to be solved by applying scientific approaches.

Starting from Byodo-ji Temple, which was the shrine temple of Omiwa Shrine until the Meiji Restoration, we will head north along the Yamanobe Road. The main temple was originally built by Prince Shotoku, but after the Battle of Sekigahara, Shimazu Yoshihiro stayed here and hid for 70 days while fleeing back to Satsuma.

The temple was once completely reorganized during the anti-Buddhist movement, but was rebuilt in 1977. Omiwa Shrine remains enshrined at the foot of Mt. Miwa, boasting the majesty of being the Ichinomiya of Yamato Province. From here, it is about 12km along the Yamanobe Road to Isonokami Shrine. The path is about 2m wide, just as it was in ancient times, and many retired seniors walk it to combine historical exploration with hiking.

Hibara Shrine is known as "Moto-Ise," and as the name suggests, it was the temporary shrine of Amaterasu Omikami before she was moved to Ise Grand Shrine. Amaterasu Omikami used to be enshrined within the Imperial Palace, but the 10th Emperor, Sujin, requested that a suitable site be found for her enshrinement, and Yamatohime-no-Mikoto, the daughter of the 11th Emperor, Suinin, set out on a journey to find numerous candidate sites, and finally found the site of Ise Grand Shrine.

Anashimasu Hyozu Shrine is also an ancient shrine of unknown origin, but it has a Sumo shrine as its subsidiary shrine and is considered the birthplace of the national sport.

Emperor Suinin arranged a match between the local representative Taima no Kehaya and the Izumo representative Nomi no Sukune, with Nomi no Sukune winning easily, which was the first sumo match in Japan. In 1962, the Japan Sumo Association dedicated the match to the area, bringing with them the chairman at the time (Futabayama), Yokozuna (Taiho, Kashiwado) and all the top-ranked wrestlers.

Nearby was the legendary site of Makimukuhishiro Palace, which was run by the 12th Emperor Keikō. Emperor Keikō's son was Yamato Takeru no Mikoto, and the Yamato Imperial Court's unification efforts made great progress.

After walking for a while, the tombs of Emperor Keiko and Emperor Sujin come into view along the road. The imperial tombs currently identified were established in a short period of time during the reign of Emperor Komei at the end of the Edo period, and many of them are subject to doubt. However, the subsequent movement of imperial tombs from the western Nara Basin to the Kawachi Plain coincides with the process by which the Yamato royal authority established control over Japan and the Korean Peninsula. Such large keyhole-shaped tombs were built up until the mid-6th century.

Chogakuji Temple was built at the request of Emperor Junna (the seventh son of Emperor Kanmu) and was founded in the early Heian period (early 9th century). Flowers can be enjoyed in every season, and the hibiscus flowers were in full bloom. They are white when they bloom in the morning, but gradually turn pink during the day and wilt by the evening.

We took a detour towards the JR Sakurai Line to visit Yamato Shrine. It was the guardian deity of the battleship Yamato, and was enshrined in the shrine on board the ship. Hoshizuka Kofun is located beside the approach to the shrine, and it seems to be suspected to be a square front, square back tomb mounds. It may be rare in the heart of the Yamato royal authority.

The area around Yatsugi Shrine was originally the territory of Kasuga Taisha Shrine. It is interesting to know the history of the estate and how the related shrines were enshrined, but it seems that this shrine was sold off as an old shrine building from Kasuga Taisha Shrine every 60 years, and it certainly has a certain dignity to it.

The ruins of Uchiyama Eikyu-ji Temple are a major scar left by the anti-Buddhist movement. Even Kofuku-ji Temple was unable to avoid the loss of significant temple land and the loss of Buddhist statues and cultural assets. This temple was abandoned, and most of its grounds are now fruit orchards, with only the pond remaining as a vestige of the temple's past. It was founded at the request of Emperor Toba during the Insei period.

At Isonokami Shrine, the worship hall of the guardian shrine within the temple, which had fallen into disrepair at Uchiyama Eikyuji Temple, was moved there during the Taisho period and designated a National Treasure, making it a valuable relic of the temple.

Isonokami Shrine is a special shrine, said to be the oldest in Japan. The Kojiki only mentions Ise and Isonokami, while the Nihon Shoki mentions Izumo as a shrine in addition to these. It is believed that the Mononobe clan, who supported the Yamato royal authority with military force, used it as an armory, which may be why the Seven-Branched Sword, a national treasure, is preserved here.

Apparently, I was able to see the Seven-Branched Sword at a special exhibition at the Nara National Museum this year, but unfortunately I missed the opportunity. There are still many parts of the inscription that are unclear, but it was at least sent from Baekje, and the common belief is that it was made in the fourth year of the Taihe era of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (369). In terms of time period, it would be around the time when Empress Jingu's conquest of the Three Kingdoms ended and Emperor Ojin's reign began. It is also a valuable clue in unraveling the so-called "mysterious fourth century."

Ariwara Shrine was Ariwara-ji Temple until the Meiji Restoration, and is also said to be the birthplace of Ariwara no Narihira. His grandfather, Emperor Heizei, confronted his father, Emperor Kanmu, who was based in Heian-kyo, and moved the capital back to Heijo-kyo, but was ousted in the Kusuko Incident, and the Crown Prince, Prince Aho, also lost his right to the throne. Narihira was the prince's fifth son, and was demoted to commoner status and took the surname Ariwara, but he became famous as a famous playboy in the Tales of Ise.

In the Noh play "Izutsu" written by Zeami, Narihira's wife Izutsu becomes a ghost and reminisces about the happy days of the past. A small shrine stood quietly beside the elevated highway. 

The Yamanobe no Michi trail takes about 4-5 hours if you walk at a leisurely pace. If you plan to climb Mt. Miwa, it might be a good idea to plan two days to ensure you have plenty of time. The first torii gate at Ogami Shrine was so large that I had to take a second or third look at it, but when I looked it up later, I found out it's 32 meters tall. I had previously seen the torii gate at Yahiko Shrine, which I was amazed by, and it's about 30 meters tall, so this one was definitely bigger.