Iwayayama Tumulus (岩屋山古墳) Iwayayama Tumulus is located only a 3-minute walk to the northwest of Asuka Station. Its west side is cut, but it is considered a square tumulus, 54 meters long at the base and 12 meters high. The upper sections of the chamber walls slope inward, so that the ceiling is narrower than the floor. Also, the entrance is higher and wider than the interior. It is believed to have been built in the early seventh century. After walking up about twenty steps, you will see the entrance, a horizontal opening 1.9 meter wide and 12 meter deep. The room where the coffin was placed is 2.7 meters wide, 4.7 meters deep and 2.6 meters high. The cut stones were piled two stories all over. You can see the inside and also you can climb up to the top. However, it is steep, so going down is a little bit thrilling.
	Emperor Kinmei's Tomb (欽明天皇陵) This tumulus is called Hinosakaai no Misasagi, and it is located about 400 meters to north from Asuka Station. This tomb is a front square and back round tumulus, and it is 140 meters long, 107 meters wide, and 72 meters in diameter. It is a three-story tumulus and has a moat around it. It is the largest square front and round back tumulus in the Asuka area. Emperor Kinmei, the 29th emperor, was crowned in 531 or 539. Buddhism was officially introduced to Japan by Korea during his reign, and his reign marked the beginning of the Asuka Culture. In addition, he is believed to have originated the sport of yabusame, shooting arrows at three targets (representing the three Korean kingdoms) from a galloping horse after praying for peace and a good harvest. Emperor Kinmei was buried in 570 and his wife and the mother of Emperor Suiko, Kitashihime was buried here in 612. The mound was added in 620.
	Princess Kibihime-O's Tomb (吉備姫王墓) Kibihime-O was the mother of Emperor Kotoku and Emperor Saimei, and the grandmother of Emperor Tenchi and Emperor Tenmu. She died in 643. She was buried on Mayumi Hill and moved here later. This tomb is located just to the west of Emperor Kinmei's Tomb. Four stones which were dug up in a field on the south side of Emperor Kinmei's Tomb during the Edo Period are there. They are called "monkey stones" (saruishi), and they are very famous. According to folklore, the faces represent a man, a woman, a monkey, and a priest. Some of the figures have faces on the back as well as the front.
	Devil's Toilet (鬼の雪隠) Oni no Secchin (Devil's Toilet) is located about half a kilometer east of Emperor Kinmei's Tomb. It is one large, box-shaped stone, part of the stone room in a tumulus made in the late seventh century by hollowing out a piece of granite. It is made following a law passed in 646.
	Devil's Chopping Board （鬼のまな板） This huge granite stone is located across the road from Devil's Toilet. This is a humorous story that demons led people in the wrong direction, caught them, chopped and cooked them on the chopping board and then went to the toilet. This stone was the base of the stone room of a tumulus made in the late seventh century. The Devil's Toilet and the Devil's Chopping Board were apparently intended to be a set of tumuli. However, it is not known for whom they were constructed.
	Emperor Tenmu and Empress Jito's Tombs (天武天皇と持統天皇陵) This tomb is located about 300 meters from Devil's Toilet and Devil's Chopping Board. Emperor Tenmu was the fortieth Emperor and Empress Jito was the 41st empress. Emperor Tenmu's father was Emperor Jomei [34th emperor] and his mother was Empress Saimei (37th emperess), and his brother was Emperor Tenji (38th emperor). Emperess Jito was both the wife and the niece of Emperor Tenmu. Emperor Tenmu won his position with the victory of Jinshin War, fought against the son of the previous emperor, in 672. Emperor Tenmu is credited with a number of important accomplishments. It was under Emperor Tenmu and Empress Jito, who succeeded him, that the country started being governed by laws, under the Ritsu-kyo system based on the Chinese model, rather than by the powerful families. He also moved the capital back to Asuka. He is credited with developing the word "Nihon" for Japan and the word "Tenno" for the emperor. In addition to supporting Buddhism, he gave support to Shinto. He ordered the construction of important temples, including Yakushi-ji, and he is believed to have edited the oldest records of Japanese history, Kojiki and Nihonshoki. He built the first standard capital with castle walls. After the death of Emperor Tenmu in 686, he was succeeded by Empress Jito, the daughter of Emperor Tenji and the wife of Emperor Tenmu, who reigned until 697. She took the throne in order to ensure the succession of her young grandson, who succeeded her as Emperor Mommu in 697. (Her son, Crown Prince Kusakabe, was supposed to be crowned as well, but he died in 689.) Even after she abdicated and entered a cloister, she continued to exercise political power until her death in 702, Empress Jito was the first of many Japanese emperors who followed this policy. This small tomb is called Hinokumaoouchi no Misagi, and it was built in 687. It is 58 meters east to west, 45 meters north to south, and 9 meters high. It is an octagonal tomb, with the entrance on the south side. It is a five-story tomb with two rooms. The room for the coffin was three meters wide, four and half meters deep and three meters high. All valuable things were stolen in 1235. It was a gorgeous tomb, with and the stone room is made of agate and the floor of gold. Emperor Tenmu's coffin was painted red. Empress Jito's urn was silver. The two rooms were divided with a gold door. Emperor Tenmu was buried there in 688. Empress Jito was cremated, the first emperor or empress to be cremated and was buried here in 703.
	Turtle Stone (亀石) This huge carved granite boulder is called Turtle Stone (Kame Ishi), because it looks like a crouching turtle. It is located about half a kilometer northeast of Emperor Tenmu's Tomb. It is 3.6 meters long, 2 meters wide and 2 meters high. It weighs forty tons. It lies facing south-west. According to a legend, when it turns toward west, Asuka will be flooded. It is not clear why this stone was made, or even when it was made, but it is believed that the stone was the edge of Kawahara Temple or used to mark the edge of a field.
	Shobuike Tumulus （菖蒲池古墳） This tumulus is located between Kashiwara City and Asuka Village, west of Kameishi (Turtle Stone). It was on the extension of Suzaku Street of Fujiwara Capital. Its earthen mound is gone and the two top stones are revealed. It looks like a 20-meter round or square tumulus. Visitors can see the entrance to the horizontal hole. Inside the tomb are two house-shape coffins visible through the iron gate. (The tomb is especially deep because of the two coffins.) Those coffins are covered with lacquer-covered cloth and have fairly sophisticated art work for the time.
	Amakashi Hill (甘樫丘) Amakashi Hill, which is 148 meters above sea level, is located north of Turtle Stone and west of Asuka Temple. It is a good place to get a view of Asuka Capital and Yamato, including Yamato Sanzan (three Yamato mountains), Amanokagu-yama, Miminashi-yama, and Unebi-yama, as well as Fujiwara Capital. You can walk along the top of the hill with panoramic views on both sides. There are cherry and plum trees along the west ridge of the hill that are referred to in the Man'yoshu poetry anthology. There is a path about 2.3 kilometers long which has about 40 plants mentioned in the Man'yoshu. The hill is especially beautiful in the spring, when these trees are in bloom. It is believed that Iruka Soga (see below) had his palace there. The hill is steep enough that it is difficult or impossible to ride a bike.
	Kogenji Temple (豊浦寺跡) Kogenji Temple is located northwest of Amakashi Hill, which was the site of Toyura Temple. Emperor Kinmei received a Kannon Buddha image from Kudara (Korea) and gave it to Iname Soga, who kept this image in Oharida House and moved to Mukuhara House, which he convereted into a temple. This temple was burned down by Mononobe. Emperess Suiko was crowned here in Toyura in 592. She lived here until 603, when she moved to Owarida Palace. Umako Soga received this palace and built Toyura Temple as a nunnery. This temple was enlarged in 634, and it became one of five major temples in Asuka. During the Edo Period, this temple's name was changed to Kogenji. Parts of the temple grounds have been excavated, and among the discoveries was the central foundation stone of the temple's pagoda, which was erected in 634.
	Nanba Pond［難波池］ This small pond is a part of Kogenji Temple. There is a small shrine in the pond. Iname Soga received the first Kannon Buddha image in 552 from Emperor Kinmei and put it in Toyura Temple. However, Okoshi Mononobe threw it into this pond, and disease spread. In 602, Zenko and Zensa Honda fished it out of the pond and took it back to Shinano where they put it in Zenkoji Temple.
	Ikazuchi Hill（雷丘） Kakinomoto no Hitomaro read a poem to show respect to Emperor Tenmu, which claimed that the emperor is great and is above the thunder. (Poems related to the imperial family and this hill can be found at http://www.furutasigaku.jp/efuruta/ikazuchi/ikazuchi.html.) This small hill, whose name means "Hill of Thunder," is located north of Amakashi Hill, on the opposite side of the Asuka River.
	Asuka Historical Museum [飛鳥資料館] This museum is located in the northeast corner of the Asuka region, near Asuka Temple. It was established in 1975 in order to "help visitors gain a better understanding both of the historical significance of the Asuka region and also of the various material expressions of its earlier culture which have been handed down to us," according to the museum web site. It has the exhibits of important items found in the Asuka region. The exhibits are divided into six categories, Asuka Capital, stones, temples, tumuli, Takamatsuzuka Tumulus, and the Manyo'shu. Two stones that were excavated, Shumisen (a column of stacked stones) and Sekininzo (a stone carved in the form of two humans, a male and a female) are very well known.There is also a historical materials reading room.
	Ishigami Historic Ruins (石神遺跡) This site is located north of Mizuochi Historic Ruins and Asuka Temple. It is very large and has been excavated several times. However, after excavations, the excavation site is covered with earth again, so visitors cannot see much. We could see only a small area of excavation. The foundations of buildings and moats of Empress Saimei (655-667) were found, an area was thought to have been used for banquets and entertaining important guests.
	Mizuochi Historic Ruins (水落遺跡) Mizuochi means water drops. This was the site of Emperor Tenji's water clock, which was the first water clock in Japan. Judging from the pottery discovered in the same place, it is thought to have been built between 650 and 660. Time was measured using water drops on the first floor, and they kept track of time on the second floor. This site is located just south of the Ishigami Historic Ruins.
	Asuka Village Buried Cultural Property Exhibit Hall (明日香村埋蔵文化財展示室) This is probably an old school building which has many pieces of cultural property excavated in Asuka Village. The most valuable items excavated from this area are exhibited in either Kashihara Museum or Asuka Museum. However, there are lots of interesting items exhibited here. Entrance is free, and visitors can take pictures. This museums is located just north of Mizuochi Historic Ruins.

> Nara Top

>HOME

Copyright (2006) by Kenji Kitao