In recent times, the road was called the Naka-kaido. Most of the part from Kashihara City to Tenri City corresponds to or runs parallel to the present-day Route 24. The road goes south, brushing the western end of the moat around the Mise Maruyama Tumulus stretching from Ogaru-cho and Gojono-cho, Kashihara City. The width is 22.7m, as measured between the centers of gutters at each side of the road. Shimotsu Michi starts from Fujiwara-kyo (present-day Kashihara City), goes through the middle Nara Basin northbound and becomes Suzaku-oji Street in Heijo-kyo (present-day Nara City). The traces of this road are unclear and interrupted, compared to those of other roads. According to Mido Kanpakuki (The Diary of FUJIWARA no Michinaga), FUJIWARA no Michinaga also passed this road to visit Yoshino. It is said that the Emperor Tenmu, after escaping from the Omi Court, went to Shimanomiya (detached palace) in Yoshino via Nakatsu Michi.ĭuring the Heian period, the road bustled with pilgrims for Yoshino. Going further southbound, the road reaches Yoshino via Imo Pass. Miwa' can be considered as 'Kannabiyama' (the mountain where gods live), and a guide for Yoshino known as 'Kamioka.' Miha,' which is described in a poem in the " Manyoshu" (Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves 13-3230). If extended southward, this road leads to 'Mt. Nakatsu Michi also penetrates the center of Asuka. Since the southern part goes around the Kaguyama hill and leads to Tachibana-dera Temple, the road was called Tachibana-kaido in recent times. This is a straight road stretching from the north foot of Amanokaguyama hill to Kitanosho-cho, Nara City. The southern end formed the Higashikyogoku (eastern end) of Fujiwara-kyo, and the northern end formed the Higashikyogoku of Heijo-kyo later. Nakatsu Michi runs parallel to and between Kamitsu Michi and Shimotsu Michi with intervals of about 2.1km each. The road crosses with Kita no Yoko-oji at Ichinomoto (Tenri City). Now it is called under the names of Ise-kaido Road and Hase-kaido Road.Īt the southern end, the road crosses with Yokooji (Nara Prefecture) and connects to Yamada-michi Road that leads to Asuka. In recent times, the road was called the Kami-kaido. There is a supposition that this road connected Nishiyama Tumulus of the Mononobe clan and Hashihaka Tumulus in the south during the Kofun period (tumulus period). Kamitsu Michi is an ancient road that starts from Sakurai City, goes up north along mountains at the eastern edge of the Nara Basin, runs through Tenri City and reaches the Sarusawa-ike Pond in the middle of Nara City. Others suppose that these roads were constructed for military purposes, since the roads played important roles in battles including Jinshin War. These roads may have been laid with the purpose of carrying materials for this construction. In the 7th century, there was a rush of construction of palaces, temples and residences of the nobles on the hills of Asuka Basin and its surrounding areas.Įspecially in the era governed by Saimei, a huge stone-made facility was constructed, made up of large stone buildings and mountains. The purpose of constructing these roads is unclear. The three roads appear in the articles of the "Nihon Shoki" about battles at Jinshin War in the Nara Basin, which means the roads had already been constructed before the era of the Emperor Tenmu. The date of construction is estimated to be in the mid 7th century, considering the description in the "Nihon Shoki" (Chronicles of Japan) at the part of June 653 in the era of the Emperor Kotoku, saying that they constructed big roads in several places. There are many traces remaining until today. The three roads stretch straight in a north-south direction in equal intervals of about 2,120m, and run parallel to each other in the order of Kamitsu Michi, Nakatsu Michi and Shimotsu Michi from east to west. Summary of Kamitsu Michi, Nakatsu Michi and Shimotsu Michi There is another road running obliquely in the direction of north-northwest to south-southeast. They are called Yokooji (Nara Prefecture) and Kita no Yoko-oji. Others include two parallel roads running in an east-west direction in the middle and the southern parts of the Nara Basin. They are also known as the three ancient paths of Yamato. They are called the Kami-kaido (Kamitsu Michi), Nakatsu Michi and the Naka-kaido (Shimotsu Michi). Yamanobe-no-michi Road are three parallel roads running in a north-south direction in the eastern areas of the Nara Basin. Some of the roads are located in the eastern area of the Nara Basin, and run north and south, threading along flat lands among mountains. Yamato no kodo stands for the ancient paths in Japan that were constructed in Yamato Province and it includes the following: Yamato no kodo (the ancient paths in Yamato Province) ( 大和の古道)
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