Also known as: Takano-no-Misasagi (IHA: attributed to Empress Shotoku)
Location
Nara Pref.
Shape
Keyhole-shaped mound
Mound length
127 m
Period
Late 4th c.
IHA designation
IHA-managed (no public entry)
Overview
Keyhole mound 127m in Sanryo-cho, Nara City. Managed by the IHA as Empress Shotoku's mausoleum (Takano-no-Misasagi), but archaeologically a late-4th-century construction. Quiet rural setting with a picturesque moat.Empress Shotoku was the last female ruler of the Nara period, but this 4th-century mound has no connection to her era. The local place name "Sanryo" (imperial mausoleum) has been inscribed in the toponym since ancient times, attesting to the site's long-recognised sacred status.
Finds & research
No excavation under IHA jurisdiction; burial goods unknown.
Two views on the occupant
Archaeological view
Keyhole mound 127m; dated to the late 4th century, one of the earlier phases in the Saki group. Double moats; stone paving and haniwa presumed. No connection to Empress Shotoku (8th c.) is credible; likely the tomb of a late-4th-century sovereign or senior chieftain.
Imperial Household Agency view
Officially designated "Takano-no-Misasagi" and attributed to Empress Shotoku (r. 764–770 CE), a Nara-period female ruler. The mound is archaeologically dated to the late 4th century — approximately 400 years before Shotoku's reign — making this, like Ichiba Kofun, a textbook case of chronologically implausible IHA attribution. Exterior viewing only.[IHA Visiting Info] Address: 奈良県奈良市山陵町 / Access: 近鉄 平城駅から徒歩約8分 / Hours: 原則、8時30分～17時 (open year-round in principle). Stamp storage: 畝傍陵墓監区事務所.