A large keyhole mound built on a summit above 300m elevation. A stone monument inscribed "Uguisu Mausoleum," erected in 1733, stands on the rear summit.
Finds & research
Stone facing and haniwa are documented. The central burial facility remains unknown. Compendium data in the Comprehensive Database of Archaeological Site Reports in Japan record a Japanese-made inner-arc-pattern mirror and an axe-shaped stone imitation, among other objects, from the southwest corner of the front mound (the year is recorded as both 1953 and 1954).
Official status & archaeological view
Official status
It was designated a National Historic Site on 3 September 1936, with Nara Prefecture as the managing body.
Archaeological view
An approximately 103m keyhole mound on the summit of Mount Wakakusa (the 1936 designation record gives a main axis of about 340 shaku; Nara City gives 107m). Built in two tiers using the summit terrain, it has stone facing and a double row of cylindrical haniwa, and fragments of house- and boat-shaped haniwa have been collected. Nara City dates it from its haniwa and other evidence to around the beginning of the 5th century, while the National Museum of Japanese History compendium assigns it to the Early Kofun period.
Field notes
Opening periods, access routes, and fees for Mount Wakakusa may change; check current Nara Prefecture and Nara City guidance.