[Gold-Guide] Tour of Asuka Village in Nara, a place alive with ancient culture and history

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1-day Timeless Asuka-mura Village Tour: Ancient Tumuli and Rice Terrace

This tour is a sightseeing tour of Asuka Village, a historic town known as the "birthplace of Japan," where the capital was located from the end of the 6th century to the 7th century and where the foundations of the Ritsuryo state system were laid. The tour starts with Ishibutai Tomb. At first glance, this mysterious Kameishi Rock appears to be an ordinary rock, but it stands in Asuka Village as a silent witness to centuries of lore and legend. On the way to the next destination, you will encounter beautiful terraced rice fields that will give you an idea of the Japanese countryside that has been protected since ancient times. At Asuka Historical Park, you can get a glimpse of a bygone era surrounded by ancient ruins and sacred treasures. At the end of the tour, you will visit the Kitora Tomb and Takamatsu Tomb, which are highlights of the area, and feel the footprints of people who have coexisted and protected this land throughout its long history.

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Ishibutai Tumulus

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This is the second continental-style mural tomb discovered in Japan after Takamatsuzuka Tomb. It is located on the mountainside heading towards Abeyama beyond the village of Hinomae. It is a two-tiered circular tomb, with the upper tier measuring 9.4m in diameter and the terraced lower tier measuring 13.8m in diameter, with a height of just over 4m for both tiers. There are various theories about the origin of the name, including one that says it was called "Kametora Tomb" because when one peers inside, one can see murals of a turtle and a tiger; another that the name of the place to the south of the tomb, "Kitaura," is a corrupted version of the name; and another that it was named "Kametora" because it is located northwest of Abeyama village in Asuka village, and is associated with the turtle (Genbu) who governs the north and the tiger (Byakko) who governs the west, two of the four gods.

This is a two-tiered circular tumulus built between the end of the 7th century and the beginning of the 8th century, dating from the end of the Kofun period, with diameters of 23m (lower tier) and 18m (upper tier) and a height of 5m. Initially, it was estimated to date from the end of the 7th century to the beginning of the 8th century based on bronze mirrors and other remains that had survived tomb raids, but an excavation in 2005 determined that it dates from the Fujiwara-kyo period (694-710). The person buried there has not been identified, and there are three main theories.

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