Walking the Ancient Capitals of Asuka and Fujiwara: From Asuka Palace Site to Mizuochi Ruins, Daikandai-ji Temple Site, and Fujiwara Palace Site

This walking route heads north from the remains of the imperial palace in Asuka to Fujiwara Palace Site, which was the center of Fujiwara-kyo, tracing the transition of Japan's 7th-century capitals. Along the way, you will visit Asuka Palace Site, Asuka-kyo Site Garden Pond (remains of an attached palace garden), Asuka Mizuochi Ruins (the site of Japan's oldest water clock platform), and Daikandai-ji Temple Site (a state temple of Fujiwara-kyo). All of these are component assets of the World Heritage site "Ancient Capitals of Asuka and Fujiwara."

History and Regional Appeal

Palaces, which until then had changed location with every imperial succession, came to be built again and again on the same site at Asuka Palace. Asuka Palace was first constructed in 630 by Emperor Jomei as Okamoto Palace (Okamoto no Miya). Subsequently, imperial palaces of successive emperors were situated here across four periods, including Itabuki Palace (Itabuki no Miya), Nochi no Okamoto Palace, and Asuka Kiyomihara Palace.

Gardens and facilities featuring new technology were also built near the palaces. Asuka-kyo Site Garden Pond is an imperial garden attached to the palace, constructed in the mid-7th century during the reign of Empress Saimei. Asuka Mizuochi Ruins is believed to be the location where Prince Naka no Oe installed the first rokoku (water clock) in the 6th year of Empress Saimei's reign (660).

In the 8th year of Empress Jito's reign (694), Empress Jito relocated the capital from Asuka Kiyomihara Palace to Fujiwara-kyo. Modeled on Chinese capitals, Fujiwara-kyo was Japan's first full-scale capital city to adopt the grid system (jobo-sei). At its center lay Fujiwara Palace, and to the southeast of the palace, the state temple Daikandai-ji Temple was deliberately positioned. The capital continued for 16 years until it moved to Heijo-kyo in the 3rd year of Wado (710).

This course walks northward following the historical order of the capital's relocation from the palace of Asuka to the palace of Fujiwara. All five locations are component assets of the "Ancient Capitals of Asuka and Fujiwara" inscribed on the World Heritage List in July 2026. While many of the sites now rest within open fields and rice paddies, you can envision the scale of the ancient capital as you follow restored stone pavements, building platforms, and post markers.

Major Highlights

• ​Asuka Palace Site​​: Known as the stage of the Isshi Incident in 645. The stone-paved plaza and large well remains restored today belong to the upper layer, Asuka Kiyomihara Palace. In parts of the field, rows of pillars have been placed to mark the positions of the building posts.
• ​Asuka-kyo Site Garden Pond​​: The South Pond and North Pond were separated by a central embankment, designed so water flowed from the South Pond to the North Pond through a wooden conduit buried inside the embankment. It is positioned as the oldest known example leading toward later Japanese gardens. On site, you cannot see the garden as it originally looked.
• ​Asuka Mizuochi Ruins​​: A stone-built square platform measuring 22.5 meters on each side has been restored, and 25 pillars stand upon it. The stones lining the outer face of the platform are the originals. Remains of water facilities, including copper pipes and wooden conduits, have been excavated from inside the building structure.
• ​Daikandai-ji Temple Site​​: The largest temple in "Asuka-Fujiwara," whose nine-story pagoda (kuju no to) was a national symbol. The temple burned down in a fire in 711; it appears that at that time only the Kondo (Main Hall) and Kodo (Lecture Hall) had been completed, while the pagoda and Middle Gate were still under construction. Today, only faint traces of the platforms remain amidst the rice paddies at the southern foot of Mt. Amanokagu.
• ​Fujiwara Palace Site​​: On the remains of the Daigokuden (Great Hall of State), which was the center of the palace, an earthen mound called Omiya Dodan remains. The palace site is enclosed by the Yamato Sanzan Mountains—Mt. Unebi, Mt. Miminashi, and Mt. Amanokagu—and the view of the ridge lines of these three mountains is designated an "Important Viewing Landscape."

Recommended Route and Travel Time

The estimated time required is about 5 hours. From Kintetsu Kashihara-jingu-mae Station, board the Asuka Circular Bus (Akakame). Akakame is a loop bus that circles between Kashihara-jingu-mae Station and Asuka Station. Get off at "Oka Tenrikyo-mae" and walk for 5 minutes to reach Asuka Palace Site. Walking northward from the southern side of the inner precinct will bring you to the stone-paved plaza.

About 220 meters northwest of Asuka Palace Site is Asuka-kyo Site Garden Pond. On the slightly elevated plaza nearby sits the Asuka-kyo Site Garden Pond Rest Area. Take a rest here while imagining the expanse of the ponds.

Walking about 660 meters north from the garden pond brings you to Asuka Mizuochi Ruins. Along the way, Asuka-dera Temple is located about 260 meters southeast of the ruins, allowing for a side visit. At Mizuochi Ruins, cross the bridge to enter the central area and view the restored platform and pillars.

About 900 meters north from Mizuochi Ruins is Daikandai-ji Temple Site. Stand before the monument and picture upon the rice paddies the pagoda platform measuring approximately 35 meters on each side and the Kondo measuring approximately 45 meters across the front. As this historic site is located in working rice paddies, please walk without entering the agricultural fields.

Proceeding about 1.8 kilometers northwest from Daikandai-ji Temple Site brings you to Fujiwara Palace Site. After visiting the earthen mound of the Daigokuden site, gaze toward Mt. Amanokagu. You can also enjoy seasonal flowers such as canola blossoms in spring, lotus flowers in summer, and cosmos in autumn. At the nearby Kashihara City Fujiwara-kyo Exhibition Room, you can see a 1:1,000 scale model of Fujiwara-kyo.

For the return trip, it is roughly a 30-minute walk each to Kintetsu Miminashi Station, JR Unebi Station, or Kintetsu Unebigoryomae Station. If using the Kashihara City Community Bus, you can board it from "Kashihara-shi Fujiwara-kyo Shiryoshitsu-mae."

Summary of the Experience

From Asuka Palace, where palaces were built again and again on the same site, past the remains of gardens, a water clock, and a state temple, to the center of Japan's first full-scale capital city: this is a one-day journey tracing the course of the 7th century in the order of the capital's moves. Finally, when you stand at the site of the Daigokuden at Fujiwara Palace Site, imagine this plain encircled by the Yamato Sanzan Mountains once holding a palace approximately 1 kilometer on each side, complete with the Daigokuden and the Dairi (emperor's residential quarters).