Managed as the joint mausoleum of Emperor Tenmu and Empress Jito and inscribed as a World Heritage component in 2026. The IHA Shoryobu reports about 37m across opposite sides. A Shoryobu bulletin survey report gives the archaeological-site name in a variant form that writes the middle element with the character for "great" instead of the one for "king".
Finds & research
The Kamakura-period robbery account Aoki-no-Sanryoki describes the chamber interior. This is not excavation evidence.
Official status & archaeological view
Official status
The IHA designates it as Hinokuma-no-Ouchi-no-Misasagi, the joint mausoleum of the 40th sovereign Emperor Tenmu and the 41st sovereign Empress Jito. The IHA visitor page calls the form a round hill.
Attribution (jitei): the Imperial Household Agency's determination of whose tomb it manages — separate from heritage designation.
Archaeological view
A late-7th-century octagonal mound at Noguchi, Asuka. The IHA Shoryobu describes five tiers and a distance of about 37m between opposite sides. The joint attribution to Tenmu and Jito is based on the IHA designation and historical records, while the protected core has not been excavated.
Field notes
The IHA states that the worship area is about a 17-minute walk from Kintetsu Asuka Station. The mausoleum precinct is closed. The goryoin (mausoleum seal) is kept at the Unebi Mausolea Office in Kashihara, Nara, where visitors can use it free of charge (reception 8:30–17:00; staff may be unavailable on weekends, holidays, 29 Dec–3 Jan and some other days).