Tawaramoto Town

A two-tier roof is drawn on a Yayoi pot.

Pottery shard with a rokaku

Photo by Saigen Jiro (Public domain)

01 ／ Jamaki straw snake

In June, the straw snake is called a risingdragon in Imazato, a descending one in Kagi.

今里の蛇巻き.jpg — Photo by Popbeans (CC BY-SA 4.0)

On the first Sunday of June, at Kitsuki Shrine in Imazato, a snake of wheat straw up to 18 m long is made and wound around a large tree south of the shrine. In Kagi, the head of a rice-straw snake is set at the foot of a large tree and the tail is slung between two trees. The tourism association says the rite is covered by the national selection "Yamato no Nogami Gyoji" (the Nogami rites of Yamato).

First Sunday of June each year
Snake up to 18 m long (Imazato)
Covered by a national selection, Nogami rites of Yamato

02 ／ Ox haniwa

A large body and a small head,with traces of horns: a clay ox.

The ox-shaped haniwa from Tomb No. 1, just west of the town hall, is realistically made, with a rich chest and back, and is a National Important Cultural Property. It was unearthed together with shield-bearer haniwa, and a 1998 survey made it likely that it came from the tomb's moat. It is thought to have stood in a row on the tomb.

National Important Cultural Property, 1958
Tomb No. 1
Found with shield-bearer haniwa

03 ／ Temple town and jinya town

After the temple that built it left,the temple town became a jinya town.

In 1602 the lord's family, the Hirano, invited a Jodo Shinshu temple here and a temple town formed. The temple left in 1647, and a jinya, the lord's administrative seat, was completed in 1648; the town passed on as a jinya town. Joshoji Temple stands on the old temple's site, its main hall of 1651 is prefecture-designated, and its front gate is said to be from Fushimi Momoyama Castle.

Temple invited, 1602
Jinya completed, 1648
Joshoji main hall: prefectural designation, 1987

Living here

54 minutes from Kyoto by Kintetsu express, no change.

about 30,000 people
Rural district town

The Kintetsu Kyoto Line express runs from Kyoto to Tawaramoto Station without a change, taking 54 minutes at the fastest on weekdays (timetable; one weekend and holiday train leaving after 22:00 takes 53). The town has five Kintetsu stations, and the town says the town hall is a 10-minute walk from either Tawaramoto or Nishi-Tawaramoto Station.

People living here: 31,177people
Area: 21.09km²
Households: 11,905households
Rent (average for rentals): 55,818yen
Healthcare: 2 hospitals ／ 25 clinics

Area and habitable land at the same scalee-Stat B1101 / B1103

Children waiting for childcare: —3 nurseries and similar
Home purchase subsidy: —
Average annual temperature: —

These 3 items are waiting on a nationwide data source. We do not fill them with estimates.

ACCESS

Where you can go from here.

Tawaramoto Town in Japan34.557°N 135.795°E

to KyotoKintetsu Kyoto Line express54min

Travel times follow 近畿日本鉄道『駅の時刻表』（eki.kintetsu.co.jp。ページに「2026/3/14現在」）。京都駅（京都線 slCode=360-0・近鉄奈良・天理・橿原神宮前・賢島方面）の発車時刻表の、橿原神宮前行きの急行・特急の各列車の停車駅発着表（T7）で、京都『発』→田原本『着』を平日・土休日の両方で数えた。逆向きは田原本駅（橿原線 slCode=361-10・大和西大寺・京都方面）の発車時刻表の京都行きの全列車で、田原本『発』→京都『着』を数えた。 (checked 2026-10-14). They vary by time of day.

Shape

Borders 5 municipalities.

Territory of Tawaramoto Town

Boundaries: National Land Numerical Information (N03)

North to south

6.7km

天理市, 三宅町, 橿原市, 広陵町, 桜井市

Tawaramoto Town isthis kind of town.

01A potsherd from the Karako-Kagi Site shows a "rokaku" with a two-tier roof and curled ridge ornaments, and in 1994 the town built a 12.5 m reconstruction at the southwest corner of Karako Pond
02Finds from the Karako-Kagi Site were designated Important Cultural Properties in 2018, and include jadeite magatama beads held in a limonite container
03The town's list of designated properties includes a Muromachi-period temple ledger recording the Buddhist names of Zeami and his wife, a statue of O no Yasumaro as a deity, and a rope-hanging rite called Tsunakake

See the town as it is now.

Source: Wikidata (P2002, P2003, P2013, P2397)

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

Tawaramoto Town official site ↗Wikipedia ↗