Yamanobe-no-Michi Path (North): From Isonokami-jingu Shrine to Chogaku-ji Temple, Mausoleum of Emperor Sujin, and Kurozuka Kofun Burial Mound

This walking course starts at JR/Kintetsu Tenri Station, heads to Isonokami-jingu Shrine, and follows the Yamanobe-no-Michi Path southward. Walking along the path where traces of the ancient road remain, you will visit Chogaku-ji Temple, pass along the moat of the Mausoleum of Emperor Sujin, and head toward Kurozuka Kofun Burial Mound, where 33 triangular-rimmed deity-and-beast mirrors were found. The walk concludes at JR Yanagimoto Station.

History and Regional Charm

The Yamanobe-no-Michi Path runs along the hills on the eastern side of the Nara Basin, connecting Sakurai and Nara. It is also said to be Japan's oldest official road. To the east of the basin, the mountains described in the Kojiki as a green fence (aogaki) stretch from north to south, and the path weaves along the foot of these mountains. Today, traces of the ancient path are best preserved from Isonokami-jingu Shrine in Tenri City to the southern base of Mt. Miwa in Sakurai City.

This guide covers the northern section. The starting point, Isonokami-jingu Shrine, is one of Japan's oldest shrines and the ancestral shrine of the Mononobe clan, leaders of warrior lineages. Tradition holds that it began in the 7th year of the reign of Emperor Sujin, the 10th emperor, when Ikagashikoo-no-mikoto, an ancestor of the Mononobe clan, transferred and enshrined the primary deity at this site.

Continuing south along the path, you will come across a large keyhole-shaped burial mound said to be the mausoleum of Emperor Sujin. Its official name designated by the Imperial Household Agency is Yamanobe-no-Michi-no-Magari-no-Oka-no-E Imperial Mausoleum, preserving the name of the path within the name of the mausoleum.

Around Yanagimoto lies the Yanagimoto Kofun Group, part of the Oyamato Kofun Group that spreads across the eastern part of the Nara Basin. The Mausoleum of Emperor Sujin is said to have been constructed around the first half of the 4th century, while Kurozuka Kofun Burial Mound is said to date from the late 3rd to early 4th century. Ancient shrines, temples, and burial mounds line up along this single path at the foot of the mountains.

Key Highlights

• ​Isonokami-jingu Shrine​​: The primary deity is Futsunomitama-no-Okami, honoring the divine power residing in the sacred sword Futsunomitama. The National Treasure worship hall is said to have been donated by Emperor Shirakawa from the Shinkaden Hall of the imperial palace and is the oldest surviving worship hall building. Behind the worship hall lies a restricted sanctuary surrounded by a stone fence, into which entry is forbidden. Within the grounds, chickens, considered divine messengers, warmly welcome visitors.
• ​Yamanobe-no-Michi Path​​: Along the route from Tenri to Sakurai, around 40 monuments are engraved with poems from the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki as well as the Manyoshu. By the wayside, there is also a small stone guidepost inscribed with "Yamanobe-no-Michi" in the handwriting of Kobayashi Hideo. From points along the path, you can look out toward the Yamato Sanzan Mountains, and to the west, the Katsuragi mountains and Mt. Nijo can be seen in the distance.
• ​Chogaku-ji Temple​​: According to the temple's records, it was founded in the first year of Tencho (824) by Kobo Daishi as the jingu-ji (a temple attached to a shrine) of Oyamato-jinja Shrine. The temple considers its bell tower gate to be the oldest bell tower gate in Japan. The principal Amida Triad statues were crafted in the first year of Ninpei (1151) and are known as the oldest documented examples of statues using inlaid crystal eyes (gyokugan). The garden of the former Jizo-in is a crane-and-turtle garden, representing a turtle with an island in the pond and a crane with a Japanese white pine.
• ​Mausoleum of Emperor Sujin​​: A keyhole-shaped burial mound with a mound length of 242 meters, designated by the Imperial Household Agency as the mausoleum of the 10th Emperor, Emperor Sujin. As an archaeological mound, it is called the Andonyama Kofun Burial Mound. It is surrounded by a water-filled moat, and you can walk all the way around it along the embankment. Entering the mound itself is prohibited, so visitors pay their respects from the Imperial Household Agency's worship area.
• ​Kurozuka Kofun Burial Mound​​: Excavation surveys in 1997 and 1998 uncovered 33 triangular-rimmed deity-and-beast mirrors and one pictorial-band deity-and-beast mirror from the vertical stone chamber in the circular rear portion. Triangular-rimmed mirrors have attracted great attention in debates over the location of Yamatai, linked to the account in the Records of the Three Kingdoms (Weizhi Worenchuan) stating that Queen Himiko received one hundred bronze mirrors from Wei. The adjacent Tenri City Kurozuka Kofun Exhibition Hall features a full-scale replica of the stone chamber.

Recommended Route and Duration

The approximate time required is about 5 to 6 hours. From JR/Kintetsu Tenri Station to Isonokami-jingu Shrine is about 2 kilometers, or roughly a 30-minute walk. Right beside the grand torii gate at the entrance to the approach stands a monument inscribed with a poem by Kakinomoto no Hitomaro from the Manyoshu.

After visiting Isonokami-jingu Shrine, walk south along the Yamanobe-no-Michi Path. About 0.8 kilometers ahead is the Uchiyama Eikyu-ji Temple Site. During the Kamakura period, it was a massive temple boasting 52 monks' quarters and 20 hall buildings, but it was abandoned due to the anti-Buddhist movement of the Meiji period, leaving only a pond today. A Basho haiku monument stands by the pond. The worship hall of Izumo Takeo-jinja Shrine, a subordinate shrine of Isonokami-jingu Shrine, was originally the worship hall of the Sumiyoshi Shrine that guarded this temple.

Continue southward from there. The path frequently overlaps with the Tokai Nature Trail, and many trail markers are set up. From Isonokami-jingu Shrine to the Tenri City Trail Center in front of the gate of Chogaku-ji Temple is about 5.6 kilometers. At the Trail Center, you can find information on the surrounding area.

After visiting Chogaku-ji Temple, it is about 460 meters southwest to the Mausoleum of Emperor Sujin. The embankment outside the moat is a popular spot for a short break. From there, head west-northwest for about 620 meters (about a 10-minute walk) to arrive at Kurozuka Kofun Burial Mound, located on the west side across the national route. Viewing the replicas of the stone chamber and mirrors at the exhibition hall first makes it easier to understand where the stone chamber was situated when you climb the circular rear section of the mound. On the way back, it is about a 7-minute walk to Yanagimoto Station on the JR Sakurai Line.

Beyond the Mausoleum of Emperor Sujin, the Yamanobe-no-Michi Path continues south past the Mausoleum of Emperor Keiko, heading toward Hibara-jinja Shrine and Omiwa-jinja Shrine in Miwa.

Summary of the Experience

Starting from the ancient shrine of the Mononobe clan embraced by evergreen trees, walk south along the path at the foot of the mountains where traces of the ancient road linger. Pass under the bell tower gate of an ancient temple, view the imperial mausoleum encircled by a water-filled moat, and stand atop the burial mound where 33 triangular-rimmed deity-and-beast mirrors were discovered. It is a day to verify with your own feet how ancient shrines, temples, and tumuli are connected by a single path.