A 290m-long keyhole mound, the second largest in the Furuichi area and ninth longest in Japan. It was built at the highest point of the plateau with its front section facing south-west; the rear circle rises 26.2m. The mound has three tiers, although a flat surface near its foot may indicate that four tiers were intended, and projections stand on both sides of the waist. A narrow, steep-sided moat and a broad outer embankment distinguish the monument. The Imperial Household Agency administers it as the mausoleum of Nakatsuhime-no-mikoto. It is a constituent monument of the Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group World Heritage Site, inscribed in 2019.
Finds & research
Tradition records a stone coffin in the burial facility. Cylindrical haniwa stood without gaps on the broad embankment outside the moat, where figural haniwa have also been recovered.
Official status & archaeological view
Official status
Officially designated "Nakatsuyama-no-Misasagi" by the IHA, attributed to Empress Nakatsuhime, consort of Emperor Ojin. Part of the surrounding bank was added to the National Historic Site "Furuichi Kofun Group" in 2021 as the "Nakatsuhime-no-mikoto-ryo Kofun surrounding bank".
Attribution (jitei): the Imperial Household Agency's determination of whose tomb it manages — separate from heritage designation.
Archaeological view
Occupant archaeologically unknown. At 290m it is second in the Furuichi area and ninth in Japan (Agency for Cultural Affairs; Fujiidera City). The official World Heritage site dates it to the second half of the 4th century, Fujiidera City to the end of the 4th century and the Agency for Cultural Affairs to the early Middle Kofun period; all three place it before Konda Gobyoyama Kofun (Mausoleum of Emperor Ojin, 425m). The explanation for its additional designation as a Historic Site dates it to the first half of the Middle Kofun period (first half of the 5th century) from the cylindrical haniwa found on the surrounding bank.
Field notes
The moat water creates a scenic landscape, and the full keyhole profile can be observed from the outer road. Nearest stations: Kintetsu Minami-Osaka Line Hajinosato (~7 min walk) or Domyoji (~16 min walk).