A large mound noted for the detailed excavation of its front-section clay burial.
Finds & research
The front clay burial yielded three mirrors, three stone boxes, five large tubular stone objects, 133 bracelet-shaped stone objects, more than 2,500 beads, iron swords and knives, and combs. The scarcity of weapons has prompted a female-occupant hypothesis, but it is unconfirmed.
Two views on the occupant
Archaeological view
A 200m, three-tiered keyhole mound at Toin, Kawanishi, built in the late 4th century. A clay burial on the front summit held a split-bamboo-shaped Japanese-umbrella-pine coffin with three mirrors, 133 bracelet-shaped stone objects, more than 2,500 beads, and other goods. The rear burial is inferred to be a pit chamber but remains unexcavated.
Imperial Household Agency view
This is not an Imperial Household Agency mausoleum. It was designated a National Historic Site in 2002, and the assemblage from the front-section clay burial was designated an Important Cultural Property in 1998.
Field notes
Follow Kawanishi Town’s site guidance and do not enter farmland, the mound, or protected areas without authorization.