A keyhole mound in Kakogawa, Hyogo Prefecture, representative of eastern Harima's succession of chieftains' tombs. Known for its continental gilt-bronze belt fittings and iron ingots, it is maintained as a historic park together with the Saijo temple ruins. It is part of the Saijo Kofun Group.
Finds & research
Rear-circle grave-goods boxes: gilt-bronze belt fittings, horse bits, cast-iron axes, 40 iron ingots, tomoe-shaped bronze ornaments and other items. Western platform: clay food models, pottery, and haniwa. Three clay-encased burials were identified in the rear circle during the 1995–96 investigations.
Official status & archaeological view
Official status
Protected as part of the National Historic Site "Saijo Kofun Group" (1973, together with Hitozuka and Amazuka) managed by Kakogawa City.
Archaeological view
A three-tiered keyhole mound about 100m long, among the largest in Kakogawa, with four projecting platforms. Kakogawa City dates it to around the early 5th century; the prefectural archaeology museum gives the end of the 4th century. The grave-goods boxes were found above the clay-encased burials.
Field notes
About 20 minutes on foot from Kanno Station on the JR Kakogawa Line, or about 4 minutes on foot from the Yamate 2-chome stop of Shinki Bus. Freely visitable as a maintained historic park. The nearby Hitozuka (scallop, ~61.5m) and Amazuka (scallop, ~51m) mounds of the same group can be seen together.