A round mound immediately south of the Himeji Archaeology Center in Shigo. Its nationally designated grave goods include ornaments and Sue ware that suggest contacts with the Korean Peninsula.
Finds & research
Three pit-style chambers; two pairs of gold pendant earrings, a silver-inlaid gold-foil ring-pommel sword, pictorial-band deity-and-beast and crawling-dragon mirrors, swords, armor, and beads. The assemblage is nationally designated Important Cultural Property.
Official status & archaeological view
Official status
Hyogo Prefectural Historic Site (1973); the finds were designated Important Cultural Properties in 1998.
Archaeological view
A 5th-century round mound about 30m across with three pit-style stone chambers. Himeji City gives its height as about 2m, while the Agency for Cultural Affairs gives about 4m. City sources also disagree on the date: a 2026 city bulletin says the first half of the 5th century, while the city's school and community-area guides say the latter half. The first chamber was looted; the second and third yielded mirrors, gold earrings, swords, armor, and beads.
Field notes
About one minute on foot south of the Himeji Archaeology Center. Admission is free; it closes Mondays and on some other days. The center holds the finds, but they are not necessarily on permanent display, so check current exhibitions.