Kashihara, city, western Nara ken (prefecture), west-central Honshu, Japan. It is situated in the southern corner of Nara Basin, about 10 miles (16 km) south of Nara city.
Kashihara has been of cultural significance since prehistoric times and is now important to Japanese archaeology. The Kashihara palace is believed to have been the place where the emperor Jimmu, the legendary first emperor of Japan, ascended the throne. The palace site is now occupied by a shrine built by the emperor Meiji in 1889. Other historic monuments include the tombs of the emperor Jimmu and other early emperors and remains of palaces of the Fujiwara family. Tourists are also attracted by the Three Mountains of Yamato—Mounts Unebi, Miminashi, and Amanokagu—which rise to the north and east of the city. Pop. (2005) 124,728; (2010) 125,605.