Kibi no Makibi Park

This park commemorates Kibi no Makibi, an 8th-century court official who spent 17 years studying in Tang China and returned with advances in astronomy, yin-yang cosmology, and the game of Go. The park occupies land thought to be associated with his family and features a tall statue of Makibi, a massive stone Go table, a sundial, and a ring of monuments depicting astrological symbols. At the entrance stands Kibi Daijingū Shrine, dedicated to Makibi, where students and parents write academic prayers on ema tablets illustrated with his portrait. It is a thoughtful stop on the Kibi Plain cycling route.