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Kamikaido Road
7th Century
A charming historic road that was once the major highway of the region.
Continuing since ancient times also as the Kamitsumichi road, the Kamikaido road stretches north-south from Sakurai City to Nara City, and right through the heart of Tenri City. With roots in ancient Japan, its hey-day was in the Edo period (1603-1868), perhaps the most charming aspect of the Kamikaido road is how we can casually discover so many small yet historic places from every era as we walk through local communities.
From Japan’s earliest days are sacred places such as Oyamato Jinja shrine and Nara Jinja shrine (both 1st century BCE), as well as Kurozuka Kofun tomb (4th century). Wanishita Jinja shrine (8th century) has ties to the Wani Clan, one of the most powerful clans in ancient times. Ariwara Jinja shrine (9th century) is said to be the birthplace of Ariwara no Narihira, a poet known for his brains and his looks, who is one of the Six Poetic Geniuses. Chogakuji Temple is not on the Kamikaido road, but the temple’s Gochido hall (Kamakura period, 1185-1333) is a small and beautiful hall that was a landmark along the road for temple visitors and road travelers. Enshrined at Ichiza Jinja shrine is the Deity of the Market, and it is located in a town that once had a bustling market place in the Edo period.
The Kamikaido road was also a spiritual road, lively with people on journeys to Hasedera temple and Ise Jingu shrine. With so many travelers, the towns of Ichinomoto, Tanbaichi, and Yanagimoto thrived as lodging towns, and even today, we can see traditional buildings from the Edo period along the Kamikaido road in those areas.
Other parts of the road are surrounded by rice paddies or vegetable crops, and we can hear the clackety-clack of the nearby JR Manyo Mahoroba Line trains as they pass by. This tranquil scenery and all of these historic places are connected today, and throughout all of time, by the Kamikaido road.
Access
By train: The Kamikaido road runs north-south parallel with the JR Manyo Mahoroba Line, about 100~500 meters east of the train line. In Tenri City, it can be accessed from JR Ichinomoto Station, JR Tenri Station, JR Nagara Station, JR Yanagimoto Station.
By car: The Kamikaido road is easiest to access by exiting the Tenri IC on the Nishi-Meihan Expressway, or the Tenri Higashi IC on the Meihan Expressway. The distance varies depending on your destination.
By bus: Nara Kotsu Bus has some bus lines that run parallel with the Kamikaido road along Nat, Hwy 169. Please check the Nara Kotsu Bus website to see which bus to take for your destination.
Environment
As we walk the Kamikaido road, we pass many rice paddies, crops, local shops and businesses, and hundreds of houses. Though it may not be as busy as it once was, the Kamikaido road is a place where we can feel how history and culture overlap with daily life in Tenri City.
Point
As the Kamikaido road passes through northern, central, and southern Tenri City, it allows us to feel some of the unique history and culture of each area. In addition to places like Nara Jinja shrine and Ariwara Jinja shrine, northern Tenri City has a traditional building with an Umadashi, a long wooden beam for people to tie their horses. In central Tenri City, Tanbaichi Town once had a large market place, and we can feel remnants of that through its traditional streetscape and Ichiza Jinja shrine. Southern Tenri City goes back to the earliest days of Japan, and this history is still alive in places like Oyamato Jinja shrine and Kurozuka Kofun tomb.
Map
Information
| Course： |
Ichinomoto Course
Yanagimoto Course |
|---|---|
| Address： | Nara City, Tenri City, Sakurai City |
| Admission： | Free |
| Parking： | No |
| Rest Area： | No |
| Toilet： | No |
| Contact： | |
| Website： | |
| Social Media： |
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