How to Read Misasagi and Katabiranotsuji

Misasagi (御陵) in Yamashina

御陵 is read Misasagi (みささぎ). It is a place name in Yamashina Ward, home to the tomb of Emperor Tenji.

Katabiranotsuji (帷子ノ辻) on the Randen Line

帷子ノ辻 is read Katabiranotsuji (かたびらのつじ). It is the station where Randen's Arashiyama Main Line and Kitano Line split.

Misasagi Is a Word for an Imperial Tomb

The place name Misasagi in Yamashina Ward is said to come from the Yamashina Mausoleum, the tomb of Emperor Tenji (Prince Naka no Ōe).

The Imperial Household Agency manages the tombs of successive emperors and other imperial family members as ryōbo (imperial mausoleums and tombs). Nationwide there are 188 ryō (mausoleums) and 555 bo (tombs), centered on the Kinki region and spread from Yamagata Prefecture in the north to Kagoshima Prefecture in the south. Early tombs were mostly raised mounds, such as round mounds and keyhole-shaped mounds; they are said to have become smaller as cremation spread, and from the end of the Heian period burial inside temple grounds became more common.

Another 御陵 Is Read Goryō

Kyoto City has another 御陵 written with the same kanji but read differently. The 御陵 in Nishikyō Ward is read Goryō (ごりょう), and its name is said to come from the tomb of Takano no Niigasa, mother of Emperor Kanmu. If you apply the Misasagi reading you learned from the station name, you will misread it, so it is safest to check the ward name as well.

Two Theories Behind the Name Katabiranotsuji

There are several theories about the origin of Katabiranotsuji in Ukyō Ward. Two are well known: one says that because the road had houses on only one side, katahira ("one side") changed into katabira; the other says this is where the katabira (a thin cloth) draped over the coffin of Empress Danrin, consort of Emperor Saga, was blown off by the wind during her funeral procession. Neither has been settled, so it seems best to treat them as legends.

As a station, Katabiranotsuji is the transfer point where Randen's Arashiyama Main Line and Kitano Line split. Walking around the station with the one-sided-road theory in mind can get you thinking about how place names and roads are connected.

Where Can You See These Names Today?

Misasagi Station is on the Kyoto Municipal Subway Tōzai Line, at the point where trains bound for Biwako-hamaōtsu and trains bound for Rokujizō part ways. The old Tōkaidō road runs nearby, suggesting the area has long been an important crossroads. In the residential area north of the station, the Lake Biwa Canal flows by, and the canal banks are lined with green space.

At Katabiranotsuji, the same spelling is used not only for the Randen station but also for a Kyoto City Bus stop. From the Katabiranotsuji bus stop, buses run toward Shijō-Kawaramachi and Sanjō-Keihan, and toward Arashiyama, Saga, and Yamagoe (as of October 2026).