Imperial Household Agency: Nahoyama Tomb (Crown Prince, son of Emperor Shomu)
Location
Nara
Shape
Shape unknown
Designation
IHA-managed tomb
IHA designation
Managed by the IHA (mound closed to the public)
Overview
The designated tomb of Emperor Shomu's crown prince at Horencho, Nara, known from the Shoku Nihongi burial notice and its Hayato Stones, while the mound itself remains archaeologically unresolved.
Finds & research
In 1998 the IHA made four small excavations at the bases of the Hayato Stones, but no artifacts were found. The Hayato Stones are monuments within the precinct.
Official status & archaeological view
Official status
Managed by the IHA as the Nahoyama Tomb of Emperor Shomu's son and crown prince (whose name a government response lists as unknown), matching the Shoku Nihongi record of his burial at Nahoyama.
Attribution (jitei): the Imperial Household Agency's determination of whose tomb it manages — separate from heritage designation.
Archaeological view
A government response identifies the archaeological site as Daikokugashiba Kofun. The Hayato Stones placed in the precinct are famous, but published sources do not establish the mound's form, size, or burial facility, or show that the figures were excavated as grave goods. Carved figures with animal heads and human bodies, perhaps representing the zodiac animals, stand around the tomb.