A roughly 92m keyhole mound in Nabari, Mie, regarded as the earliest mound in the National Historic Site Mihata Kofun Group.
Finds & research
The mound is covered with stone facing, and fragments of figurative and cylindrical haniwa have been identified; it has not been excavated (Nabari City).
Official status & archaeological view
Official status
A principal mound of the Mihata group, designated a National Historic Site on 17 October 1978.
Archaeological view
Nabari City describes a keyhole mound about 92m long (rear diameter 56m, height 7.2m; front width 40m, height 6.2m). Nabari City dates it to the end of the 4th century and identifies it as the earliest mound in the Mihata group. The mound itself is unexcavated; iron armor and other objects came from the nearby Wakizuka Nos. 1 and 2. Iga City's 2023 cultural property preservation and utilization plan also lists a total mound length of 92m, while the Agency for Cultural Affairs' designation account gives 88m. The measurement definitions and reasons for these differences have not been established.
Field notes
According to Nabari City's Nabarigaku guide, the flat ground around the mound is used as a cemetery.