Also known as: Mausoleum of Yamato Totohimomoso-hime
Location
Nara Pref.
Shape
Keyhole-shaped mound
Mound length
280 m
Period
Mid–late 3rd c.
Designation
Imperial Mausoleum (IHA)
IHA designation
IHA-managed (no public entry)
Overview
A huge early keyhole mound central to debates over the emergence of the Yamato polity. Its date and relationship to Makimuku connect it to the Yamatai and Himiko debates. A second causeway across the moat was reported in 2026.
Finds & research
The internal burial facility remains unexcavated. Investigations of the moat and perimeter have identified pottery, haniwa, and causeways. Radiocarbon and pottery chronologies permit interpretive ranges and are not treated as proof of a particular occupant.
Two views on the occupant
Archaeological view
A c.280m keyhole mound (the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ database gives c.290m) at Hashinaka, Sakurai, in the southeastern Makimuku site. Its rear circle is about 160m across, the front about 130m wide, and the mound about 30m high. Dating to the middle to latter half of the 3rd century, it is among the earliest large keyhole mounds. The internal burial facility is unexcavated and the occupant unknown. Identification as Himiko’s tomb is a major hypothesis, not an established fact.
Imperial Household Agency view
The Imperial Household Agency designates and manages it as the Oichi Tomb of Yamato Totohimomoso-hime. The designation follows the Nihon Shoki tradition; the occupant has not been archaeologically verified.
Field notes
The mound is closed as an Imperial mausoleum. View it from public roads and authorized areas, without entering the moat or managed precinct.