A keyhole mound in Otsukadai, Nishi-ku, Kobe. As an IHA mausoleum reference site, the mound is closed, but the water-filled horseshoe moat described by Kobe City can be seen from outside.
Finds & research
Cylindrical haniwa, plus house-, shield-, and parasol-shaped haniwa found in the IHA’s 2000 survey. The IHA holds a gold earring recorded as from the Tamatsu site, but considers it unlikely to come from this mound and suggests it may come from one of the detached plots (i-go or ro-go).
Official status & archaeological view
Official status
The IHA manages the mound as the Tamatsu Mausoleum Reference Site. The IHA also manages two nearby detached plots (i-go and ro-go) as part of the reference site.
Attribution (jitei): the Imperial Household Agency's determination of whose tomb it manages — separate from heritage designation.
Archaeological view
Kobe City describes a 74m keyhole mound with a water-filled horseshoe moat. The Imperial Household Agency’s 2000 survey report likewise reconstructs it at 74m long, with a 44m rear mound and a 42m front edge, noting that the original size cannot be fixed because the skirt has been cut away, and that both parts were probably built in three tiers. It dates to the Middle Kofun period, and its burial facility remains unconfirmed. The IHA lists cylindrical haniwa from the site and a gold earring managed as a Tamatsu find; the earring cannot securely be assigned to this mound’s burial. Kobe City reports an attribution to Princess Toneri-hime, daughter of Emperor Kinmei, but archaeology has not established its occupant.
Field notes
Kobe City directs visitors to Shinki Bus routes 43 or 92 from Seishin-Chuo subway station. The mound itself is closed.