Katsura and Oharano area, Kyoto sightseeing route, Japan

The Katsura area, the Heian period, the place where the Katsura River, which was a sightseeing spot for successive emperors, flows, the Katsura Imperial Villa and the old townscape invite you to a journey of historical romance. The Katsura River, which runs through the southwestern part of the Kyoto Basin and flows into the Yodo River, is one of the largest rivers in Kyoto, with a total length of 114 km. In 986 (2nd year of Kanna), Emperor Ichijo played a boat on this river, and during the Heian period, it was a sightseeing spot for successive emperors. Katsura Imperial Villa is located along the Katsura River.

It is a villa that was almost completed in the place of Prince Hachijo, who started construction by Prince Hachijo. It is a spot where you can feel the culmination of the technique of detached palace architecture and the beauty of Japanese gardens. Along the old Sanin Kaido in the southwest direction from Katsura Imperial Villa, it is a place designated as “Nishikyo Kashihara Kai Wai Landscape Improvement District”. The main camp, which used to be the residence of a daimyo, was set up, and inns and stores were also hung up. Its prosperity can be seen in the current cityscape.

In addition to the Oharano area, the Oharano Shrine worshiped by Murasaki Shikibu, and the Jurinji Temple where Ariwara no Narihira retired, there are also “Stone Temple” and “Flower Temple”. Let’s visit the temples and shrines and experience the charm of this area. Oharano spreads out at the foot of Mt. Koshio at the western end of the Kyoto basin. In this area with history, culture and rich nature, you can experience a part of its charm by visiting temples and shrines with various history. At Shoji-ji Temple, which is called “Stone Temple,” you can see the “Stone Garden of Birds and Beasts,” and at Shoji-ji Temple, which is called “Flower Temple,” you can see many cherry blossoms, including “Saigyo Sakura” in the spring.

There is also a place closely related to the poet, and you can also stop by Oharano Shrine, which Murasaki Shikibu worshiped as Ujigami, and Jurinji Temple, which is said to have been retired by Ariwara no Narihira. If you go a little further, you will find Yoshimine-dera Temple, which has a magnificent view of the Yuryu pine tree, which is a nationally designated natural monument, and Sankoji Temple, which has a good view from the front of the main hall. It is an area where you can fully enjoy history exploration.

Nishikyo Ward is one of the 11 wards that make up Kyoto City. Nishikyo Ward west of the Katsura River and Otokuni District (including Muko City and Nagaokakyo City) are also called Nishiyama. Nishikyo Ward, which is located in the southwestern part of Kyoto City and plays the role of the western gateway to Kyoto, was born in October 1976, separated from Ukyo Ward with the Katsura River as the boundary line. The Katsura River, which is a representative river of Kyoto, flows slowly in the eastern part of the ward, and has the Nishiyama mountain range such as Arashiyama and Oshioyama in the west. It is an administrative district rich in water, greenery, and nature. The east side of the area is Ukyo Ward and the south. It borders Kameoka City and Takatsuki City, Osaka Prefecture on the west side, and Muko City, Nagaokakyo City, and Shimamoto Town, Mishima County, Osaka Prefecture on the south side.

Katsura Station is a Hankyu Railway station located in Kawashima Kitauracho, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture. There are two lines, the Hankyu Kyoto Main Line and the Arashiyama Line, of which the Arashiyama Line starts at this station. All commercial trains, including Kyo and Rein, stop. The station number is HK-81. Residential areas spread out in both east and west, and a bus terminal is maintained in front of the station. The Kawaoka railroad crossing, where the railroad and Prefectural Road No. 142 Kasukake Nishioji Gojo Line (formerly Sanin Kaido) intersect on the south side of the station, is sandwiched between roads on both sides.

MEW Hankyu Katsura is a commercial facility that is directly connected to Katsura Station. The station building on the east side of the station is classified by the zone name “East”, and the stores located on the pedestrian deck connecting to the ticket gate of the station are classified by the zone name “West”. In addition to the Kyoto City Certificate Issuing Center and paid bicycle parking lot, Book1st and Matsumotokiyoshi are open in the East, and Kasho Chidoriya and Hankyu Housing Plaza Katsura are open in the West. Please refer to the official website “Floor Guide” for a list and detailed information of all stores. Other tenants attached to the station include Asnas Express, a flower shop, a confectionery shop, a delicatessen shop, and a lottery counter. As for bicycle parking lots, there are several Kyoto municipal facilities around the station.

Oharano Shrine
Oharano Shrine is a shrine located in Oharano, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture. One of the 22 companies (7 of them). The old shrine was a shrine shrine, and now it is a separate shrine of the Association of Shinto Shrines. It was solicited by Kasuga Shrine in Nara (currently Kasuga Taisha Shrine), and is also known as “Kyo Kasuga”. Along with Kasuga Shrine and Yoshida Shrine in Kyoto, it is one of the “three shrines of Mr. Fujiwara”. Settled in the Oharano area at the foot of Mt. Koshio, one of the peaks of the Nishiyama Mountains, on the western edge of the Kyoto Basin.

An old shrine with a long history before Heiankyo, when Emperor Kanmu moved to Nagaokakyo in the 3rd year of Enryaku (784), Empress Fujiwara no Otomuro solicited the spirit of Nara Kasugasha, the god of Fujiwara. , It begins even though it was enshrined in the Oharano, where he often hunted hawks. There are various theories about the first enshrined place, and Irino Shrine (Oharano Uebacho) listed in the Enki-shiki Shinto shrine is considered to be the most promising. In the 3rd year of Kashō (850), Emperor Montoku, whose grandfather was Fujiwara no Fuyutsugu, built a shrine at the current location. Since the 3rd year of Jōgan (861), the empress has been worshiped again, and Emperor Enyu and Emperor Ichijo have been visited frequently. He received special reverence not only from Mr. Fujiwara but also from the imperial court, and was 22 in the Heian period. Lined up at the company.

The shrine territory was reduced due to the war at the end of the Muromachi period, and the ritual was also aborted after the Onin War, but it was reconstructed from the time of Emperor Gomizuo in the Edo period, and the government festival was reconstructed until the first year of Keio at the end of the Edo period. Was lined up in the shrine. When a girl was born in Mr. Fujiwara’s house, it was customary to pray to our company so that the child could become the empress / Chugū, and when the prayer was followed, we would arrange a line and visit our company. In 18th year of Jōgan (876), when Takako Fujiwara (after Nijo), who became the maiden of Emperor Seiwa, visited our company, Ariwara no Narihira, a former lover of Takako, was the lieutenant general of Konoefu. Following Yukiyuki, he wrote, “Ohara and Kosio no Yamamokefu are hard to think of the gods.”

Nishikyogoku Athletic Park
Construction started in 1930 (Showa 5) as a municipal general sports ground based on the City Park Law, and completed in 1942 (Showa 17) over 12 years. At Takebishi Stadium Kyoto (athletic stadium and ball game field), Wakasa Stadium Kyoto (baseball field), etc., you can play athletics, baseball, each ball game, etc., and mainly at the Kyoto National Athletic Meet and the National Sports Tournament for the Physically Handicapped in 1988. It will be the venue for national high school ekiden, national prefectural competition women’s ekiden, and other national competitions and J-League games. In 2002, the south side of the park was expanded and the Kyoto Aquarena (pool, ice skating rink, fitness room, archery field that can be used as a place for international competitions and health promotion) was opened. It is widely used as a place for easy sports and walking for citizens. The total area is 180,857 square meters.

Katsurasaka Wild Bird Amusement Park
“Katsurazaka Wild Bird Amusement Park” starts from the “Bird Sanctuary” zone, which is a sanctuary for wild birds, and the “Urayama” zone, which has three routes of “roads to play with birds” on a site of about 83,000 tsubo. It has become. Wood carvings and panels of wild birds are displayed in the observation hut “Kanchoro”, and you can sit down and observe the wild birds coming to the “sanctuary of wild birds” with binoculars through the window. In addition, at the “Manufacturing Experience Center”, you can observe nature and experience making things by making the best use of natural materials.

Kyoto City West Cultural Center Westy
As a base for cultural activities in the western region, it is a facility that can be used for performances such as music, drama, dance, and other cultural events, as well as classes, training, conferences, etc. Nishi Bunka Kaikan Westy is the third regional culture in Kyoto City. Opened in August 1993 as a hall.

Kyoto City Rakusai Bamboo Forest Park Takeno Museum
The Japanese-style finish bamboo museum built in the park is equipped with an exhibition room and a tea room “Chikufuken”, and the terrace overlooks the ecological garden. In the exhibition room, there are many materials related to bamboo such as chasen, bamboo swords for kendo, and shakuhachi, including a restored model of a light bulb made by Edison using Madake as a filament in 1882. It also sells bamboo products. The ecological garden (5,000 m2) is a strolling garden where 110 species of bamboo and bamboo grass are collected from all over the country, and you can observe the beauty of the bamboo grove and observe the ecology of bamboo.

Famous places and historic sites

Katsura Imperial Villa
Katsura Imperial Villa is an imperial facility located in Katsura, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto. It consists of a group of buildings and a garden that was founded as a villa of the imperial family Hachijogu in the 17th century during the Edo period. The total area is about 69,000 square meters including the attached land, of which the garden area is about 58,000 square meters. The detached palace means a palace established separately from the Imperial Palace, but it was called “Katsura Imperial Villa” after it became under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Household Ministry in 1883, and before that, “Katsura Betsugyo” etc. Was called. It retains the gardens and buildings that were originally built in the early Edo period, and conveys the essence of the imperial court culture of that time. The strolling garden is considered to be a masterpiece of Japanese gardens.

In addition, among the buildings, the Shoin has adopted the Sukiya style based on the Shoin-zukuri style. There is a teahouse in the garden. Currently, it is managed by the Kyoto Office of the Imperial Household Agency. It hasn’t been hit by a fire since it was built, and it almost completely conveys its original appearance to this day. In 1964, we purchased 7,000 square meters of farmland and are making every effort to preserve the scenery.

Katsura Imperial Villa is located in the former Shimokei Village on the west bank of the Katsura River, in the western suburbs of Kyoto City. This was a transportation hub where the Katsura River and the former San-in Expressway (Tamba Highway) intersected. At the intersection of the river and the road, there used to be “Katsura no Watari”, and now the Katsura Ohashi Bridge is built. 1615 (former Kazumoto) Tomohito (the first Hachijo shrine) started construction. A villa that was almost completed in the era of King Tomotada (2nd generation) about 47 years later. On the site of about 69,400 square meters, the Koshoin, Chushoin, and Shin-Goten are mainly located, and the Shoin and Teahouse are arranged around the pond, and the composition and fusion of the garden and architecture are wonderful. It is said to be the culmination of the best techniques of detached palace architecture and the beauty of Japanese gardens.

The land of Katsura has long been known as a villa for aristocrats, and during the Heian period, the villa of Fujiwara no Michinaga (at that time, called “separate business”) was run by Katsura-den. In addition, Hikaru Genji’s “Katsuraden” that appears in “The Tale of Genji” and “Matsukaze” is set to have been here. Reizei Emperor, who appears in the story, sings the song, “If the village of the river where the moon lives, the shadow of Katsura will be ridiculous.” This place was also known as a famous spot for viewing the moon. There is a Tsukiyomi Shrine in Matsumuro, Nishikyo-ku, near the Katsura Imperial Villa, and it is said that the place name of Katsura comes from the Chinese word “laurel”. Katsura Imperial Villa in such a place has the meaning of a device for viewing the moon. At the same time, it has a function as a place for various entertainments and events such as boating in the pond, tea parties in the teahouses scattered in the garden, and banquets, so it was not just a garden for appreciation.

Katsura Imperial Villa is known as the oldest strolling garden, and the garden and the building are united to form a Japanese beauty. Foreign architects such as Bruno Taut and Walter Gropius also praised Katsura Imperial Villa as an architecture and garden that expressed beauty and deep spirituality in simplicity. There is a tradition that the gardener is Kobori Enshu for a long time, but it is hard to think that Enshu himself directly distributed the garden. Names such as Sakyo Nakanuma, Enshu’s brother-in-law, and Tamabuchibo, a subordinate of Enshu, are mentioned as people who may have actually been involved in the gardening.

Bruno Taut, a German architect who came to Japan in 1933, praised the simple beauty of Katsura Imperial Villa and is known for raising its name recognition internationally. Taut visited Katsura Imperial Villa in May 1934 and May 1934, and wrote his impressions at that time. Taut, who admired the garden from the bamboo rim (Tsukimidai) that juts out from the wide rim of Koshoin, said, “The beauty that is unfolding here is the beauty that is incomprehensible, that is, the beauty of great art. When I come in contact with a work of art, tears naturally overflow into my eyes “.

Oharano Shrine
Oharano Shrine is a shrine located in Oharano, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture. One of the 22 companies (7 of them). The old shrine was a shrine shrine, and now it is a separate shrine of the Association of Shinto Shrines. It was solicited by Kasuga Shrine in Nara (currently Kasuga Taisha Shrine), and is also known as “Kyo Kasuga”. Along with Kasuga Shrine and Yoshida Shrine in Kyoto, it is one of the “three shrines of Mr. Fujiwara”. Sewai is one of the famous waters. It is on the way to the approach. It was written in “The Tales of Ise” and “Kokin Wakashū”.

Yoshimine-dera Garden
The precincts of Yoshimine-dera are about 30,000 tsubo, and you can enjoy the flowers of each season. Cherry blossoms in spring, hydrangea in summer, and Japanese anemone in autumn. The autumn leaves from November are especially beautiful. The view from the precincts is the best in Kyoto, and you can see the city of Kyoto from Kaisando, Shakado, and Yakushido. Zazen stone is Yoshimine-dera. It is said that a magical obstacle appeared at the festival when the Gensakujin opened the mountain, and the Gensakujin meditation on this rock to disperse the magical obstacle. It is located on the south side of the mountain path on the approach from the foot of the mountain to Niomon.

Yuryu no Matsu is a five-leaf pine of the Pinaceae family in the precincts of Yoshimine-dera. It spreads out in front of the precincts Tahoto and Kyodo. “Yuryu no Matsu” is said to be from the point where the trunk extends long to the left and right and looks like a dragon. The Yuryu pine here is only a few meters high, but the trunk that extends to the left and right is over 37 meters. It has been famous for a long time, and Otagaki Rengetsu calls it “I think about the old days of Tamamatsu of Zenmine, who shines through the world.” Designated as a national natural monument.

Shojiji Temple
Shoji-ji is a temple of the Tendai sect located in Oharano Minamikasuga-cho, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto. The mountain number is Koshioyama. The principal image is Yakushi Nyorai. Known as the Temple of Flowers. Saigoku Yakushi 49 Sacred Ground No. 42 Fudasho. Kagamiishi is in front of Fudodo, and next to it is a small pond called “Saigyo Sugatami no Ike”. Kagamiishi is shiny and is said to have been used by Saigyo for shaving. Tendai sect.

Saihoji Garden
The garden of Saihoji (moss temple) is fantastic, with the spectacular three-tiered dead waterfall stone set and the Yamato-e-like pond-style garden, all covered with over 100 species of green moss. A world of silence. Kagemukai stone is located in the garden and is said to be the land of the advent of Matsuo Myojin. According to one theory, Muso Soseki’s sermon was heard by Myojin Matsuo sitting on a rock. Note: The rope is stretched.

Kashihara bill Tsuji Sanshi Martyrdom land
In the Edo period, this Kashihara area was where the main camp and inns were set up as transportation hubs. Due to the Hamaguri-gomon incident on July 19, 1864, the Choshu clan was defeated by the Allied Forces centered on the Aizu and Satsuma clan, and many soldiers were killed. At this time, three soldiers (Naomasa Utsumoto, Yorimitsu Sagara and Shinhachiro brothers) who belonged to the Choshu domain fled to this area, but were surrounded by the Obama domain soldiers who guarded this Tsuji by the shogunate. It was defeated and ended. The body was abandoned, but the villagers carefully buried it on the hillside and erected a tombstone.

Fukunishi Tumulus No. 7 and No. 10 Mounds
The Fukunishi Kofungun is a crowd burial mound built from the end of the 6th century to the first half of the 7th century, and more than 30 have been confirmed to date. Eleven units were excavated and investigated during the construction of Rakusai New Town, and two of them, Mound No. 7 and Mound No. 10, have been constructed and preserved in a section of Fukunishi Archaeological Park. The main part of this tumulus is made by cutting the relic inclusion layer of the Jomon period, and the lower layer including the tumulus is the relic inclusion layer of the Jomon period. Kyoto City Registered Historic Site.

Lotus tower
It is a memorial tower for Utsunomiya Yoritsuna (Honen Rensei), a leading gokenin of Shimotsuke Province (currently Tochigi Prefecture) in the early Kamakura period, who fled the political conflict and served the Hounen superiors. Rensei built a temple here in Shimotsubayashi and lived there. This is the origin of Rensei-ji Temple. Rensei is also famous as a poet and has a friendship with the Fujiwara no Teika, and the famous “Hyakunin Isshu” is also said to have been selected by Rensei. He died on November 12, 1259. It is said that he is 88 years old. A stone lantern with the inscription “Ryakuo 2nd Year Applicant Rensei” (Northern Court 1339) stands in the precincts of the Touhou Shimotsubayashi Gosha Shrine. It is a masterpiece that is said to have been eagerly desired by Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

Okonogi of Jurinji Temple
A camphor tree of the Lauraceae family in front of the main hall in the precincts of Towaji Temple. There are also Narihira autumn leaves. In the courtyard, weeping cherry trees, commonly known as “Narihira cherry blossoms,” which are about 200 years old, are scattered. The garden is a three-way garden made in the Edo period, and the Narihira palace is elegant with a restored dynasty fusuma painting. There is a tea room that Minister of the Right Tsunemasa Fujiwara likes, and it is characterized by its supple atmosphere. The roof of the main hall is a rare building in the shape of a portable shrine called a phoenix.

Kashihara abandoned temple ruins
Ruins of an ancient temple. 1967 (Showa 42) As a result of excavation survey during the construction of the residential land, the remains can be found. The name of the temple is unknown and it is called Kashihara Abandoned Temple with the name of the land. The center of the remains is a tower with an octagonal tiled base. It is estimated that it was built during the Hakuho period based on the tiles excavated from the Shitennoji style temple. The ruins of the temple have been organized and turned into a historic park. 5 minutes walk from the city bus historic park

Jizoin Garden
A Rinzai Zen temple built in 1367 by Yoriyuki Hosokawa, who is under the jurisdiction of the Muromachi Shogunate, by inviting Sukyoji Zen Master. Kanjo Kaisan is Muso Soseki, and the principal image is Jizo Bodhisattva. It is also the temple where Ikkyu Zen Master spent his childhood. It is also called a bamboo temple because the precincts are widely covered with bamboo grove. In addition to the Jizo Bodhisattva, wooden statues of Muso Soseki, Zen Master Soseki, and Yoriyuki are enshrined in the main hall. There is a flat garden style dry landscape garden in the north of the main hall, and 16 natural stones resembling Rakan are arranged.

Except for the bamboo grove, the entire precincts are covered with bright moss. Because there are many maples, the fresh greenery is beautiful in spring and the autumn leaves are beautiful in autumn. From time to time, camellia camellia and sasanqua flowers add color. In the south of the main hall, there is a graveyard of Zen Master Soukyo, Yoriyuki. Another highlight is the Eight Views of Xiaoxiang, a fusuma painting by former Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa. The entire precincts are designated as a cultural property environmental conservation area in Kyoto City.

Shohoji Garden
On the side of the pond of Shoboji Temple in Oharano, Nishikyo Ward, there is a splendid 80-year-old weeping cherry tree. In the stone garden in front of Murou-den, stones collected from all over the country and resembling animal shapes are arranged.

Museums

Yoshimine-dera Buddhist Temple Treasure Museum
Approximately 120 items from approximately 1,200 items, including Buddhist statues and painting crafts and items related to Tsunayoshi Tokugawa’s mother Keishoin, including the important cultural property of the Great Marshal Myo Axis (Special release in the spring of 2017, April 1-16) , April, May, June Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays Autumn special exhibition October, November Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, November 11th to December 3rd)

Kyoto City University of Arts Art Museum
The collection is about 4,300 art materials. Graduation works (Japanese paintings, designs, etc.) and reference materials (Japanese paintings, Western paintings, Oriental paintings, models, prints, ceramics, dyeing and weaving, folk materials, Tosa school painting materials, Tamura Soryu’s former collection Etc.). The graduation works include works by painters who were deeply involved in modern art in Kyoto, such as Tsuchida Bakusen and Kagaku Murakami. In addition, the models and teacher model drawings used as materials for painting education are interesting materials that can only be collected within the organization of the school. The collection is open to the public at the collection exhibition held about 150 days a year.

Tabata Lampkan
The history of Akari, which began with garden fire, and various lighting fixtures used in the lives of ordinary people are displayed in an easy-to-understand manner, focusing on the transition of lighting fixtures from the Edo period to the early Showa period. The rare items such as Akira Omatsutori of Todaiji Nigatsudo and a fireworks display are on display. Further back in time, there are items such as fuselage and flint that are reminiscent of the lives of our ancestors, and we can see the transition of lighting equipment.

Events / festivals

Narihira
General Wakakei Transliteration Meeting
Mitakari Festival
Shiogama Festival
Meeting to listen to the statement and the sanxian
Yakushi tray
National High School Ekiden Race Tournament
National Prefectural Competitive Women’s Ekiden Tournament
Oharano Shrine annual festival
Hassaku Festival Horakukai, Kuze Rokusai Nenbutsu