【The Place Where Japan Began】Learn about Kashihara(橿原)

This time, I would like to introduce a place called “Kashihara(橿原)”, which is said to be the place where Japan began.

Do you know a place called “Kashihara(橿原)”?
It is located in the central part of Nara Prefecture and is home to the Fujiwara-kyo(藤原京), the oldest capital in Japan, and the Yamato Sanzan (大和三山) the three holy mountains of Yamato, which is revered as a holy place.

However, the reason why Kashihara is so special is because it is the place where Japan began.
It has been a place of longing for me for many years.

I was finally able to visit the place of my dreams!
In this article, I would like to introduce Kashihara and tell you about my experience of the trip.

What is “the place where Japan began”?

Why is “Kashihara” so special?
The reason why Kashihara is so special is because it is said to be the place where Emperor Jinmu(神武天皇), the first emperor of Japan, ascended the throne and set up his imperial residence.

There is a famous mythical episode called the “Jimmu’s Eastern Expedition(神武東征).
In which Kamu Yamato Iwarebiko (later Emperor Jimmu) crossed the sea from Kyushu, traveled eastward across Honshu, and arrived in Yamato (present-day Nara Prefecture).
In Yamato (present-day Nara Prefecture), he laid the foundation for the founding of Japan.

Iwarebiko was born in Kyushu, and at the age of 45, he decided to make an expedition to Yamato, which was rumored to be a beautiful country in the east.
During his journey, he encounters various trials, sometimes fighting enemies, sometimes getting lost.
It is said that Yatagarasu(八咫烏), a three-legged crow, was sent from heaven to guide Iwarebiko and the others when they were almost lost in the mountains of Kumano.

Despite many hardships, the Iwarebiko arrived in Kashihara and reached Mount Unebi, one of the three mountains of Yamato.
It is said that he built the Kashihara Palace at the foot of Mount Unebi, one of the three mountains of Yamato, and ascended the throne as the first emperor on January 1, the year of Shinyu(辛酉) .

The day when January 1 of the year of Shinyu(辛酉) was changed to the current calendar is the National Day that we have today (February 11), and the accession to the throne
The location of the imperial palace, Kashihara Palace, is now home to a shrine called Kashihara Shrine(橿原神宮).

This is the reason why it is called the place where Japan began.
In other words, it is the place where the first emperor ascended the throne and the country of Japan was founded (started).

Kashihara Shrine(橿原神宮)

I love mythology, and I’ve always wanted to visit the path that Emperor Jimmu (神武天皇), who is related to Amaterasu Omikami (天照大神), took to conquer the East and found Japan.

For some reason, there are many places in Kyushu that are related to Japanese mythology.
It is said that Ninigi no Mikoto (邇邇芸命), the grand son of Amaterasu, descended to Kyushu and his great grand son was Emperor Jinmu.

Regardless of the extent to which the myth is true, the ancestors who created our country came from the south.
I guess so.
I had been to Kyushu on a previous trip and also visited Kumano Kodo (熊野古道), so inevitably I wanted to visit Kashihara next.

The main attraction would be the Kashihara Shrine(橿原神宮), after all.
Yes, boom!

It’s a beautiful, dignified wooden torii gate.

The Kashihara Shrine(橿原神宮) is located on a very large site of 150,000 tsubo, and as I mentioned above, it is at the foot of a small mountain called Mt. Unebi is one of the three mountains of Yamato, and all these mountains are so close that they can be seen from one place.
It is so close that you can see all of these mountains from one place, and you can understand why this place is called a sanctuary, it feels very special.

As I will write later, to the north of the shrine is the tomb of Emperor Jinmu, the Emperor Jinmu’s tomb.
In other words, this is a spot that should not be missed when talking about Japan.

As you go through the torii gate

2678 A.D.! It says!
That’s nice!
A.D. means from when Emperor Jinmu ascended the throne.

In other words, it has been 2678 years since Japan was (allegedly) founded, and the year A.D. which is longer than the Western calendar!
That’s why the imperial family is said to be so precious.

After passing through there, we finally reached the main shrine!

Oh, it’s so big! This gravel garden!

I visited in the morning, and this place was neatly cleaned in a wavy pattern, and I wondered how I would get through!
I couldn’t take my first step, but then I saw an old man stepping into the garden.
So I went through without hesitation.

Photo of the main shrine.

Very solemn.
As you can see, even though it is a historic place, it was built in the “Meiji era”.
It is said that the people of the country volunteered to build the shrine, and the Emperor Meiji accepted the request.
In other words, the building itself is quite new.

With Mt. Unebi behind the main shrine, the vast site and the natural wood color of the main shrine
With the vast grounds and the natural color of the main shrine, it is truly a landscape worthy of Japan’s original landscape as nature worship.

As you can see from the pictures, it was not crowded with people like Meiji Shrine(明治神宮) or Ise Shrine(伊勢神宮), but very quiet.
That’s why it’s great to have a hole in the ground!

When there are not many people, there seems to be a fresh, clean air flowing through the place, which is very pleasant.
It’s like a sanctuary that sleeps quietly.
But it’s a bit lonely.

This is the place where Japan was born (or so they say).
Our own country.
Even if that’s not true, it’s definitely a place that has some kind of important meaning.

It may sound like a contradiction, but I want it to be both a quiet sanctuary and a place that is more respected.
As a lover of my own country, I have such feelings.
I love to visit shrines, and this is one of my favorite shrines!