A terminal-period tomb opened as a historic park in 2020.
Finds & research
The side-entry chamber is about 3m long and 1.5m wide, with an approximately 1.5m passage projecting from its front (per Kashiba City; the national designation account gives a 3.05m chamber and 0.8m passage, and Nara Prefecture a total length of 4.47m with a 3.5m chamber). Although disturbed by looting, the chamber yielded an earring, a hollow bead, 11 fragments of bronze objects including a probable bronze bowl, and fragments of lacquered basketry and dry-lacquer (kyocho) objects.
Official status & archaeological view
Official status
It was designated a National Historic Site in 1973 and has been developed as a historic park by Kashiba City.
Archaeological view
A square mound at Hirano, Kashiba, about 18m on a side and 4m high according to Nara Prefecture (based on the 1972 prefectural excavation), or about 21m on a side and about 4m high according to Kashiba City and the Agency for Cultural Affairs. It is built of rammed earth and dated to around the late 7th century. Its side-entry chamber, assembled from slabs of Mount Nijo tuff, is regarded as a pioneering form of this chamber type.
Field notes
About a 20-minute walk northwest from JR Shizumi Station. The park has no parking, and chamber access is limited to announced periods; check current Kashiba City guidance.