Group of seven keyhole mounds in Kashiwara City — a National Historic Site. The main Mound No.1 (~46m, early 4th century) is famous for its nationally rare L-shaped (key-shaped) moat, cited in archaeology textbooks. Finds include bronze mirrors, iron implements, and beads. An important group of early Kofun-period chieftain tombs on the south bank of the Yamato River.
Finds & research
Bronze mirrors (including imitation types), iron implements, stone artifacts, beads (comma-shaped, tubular). Pit-style stone chambers confirmed. L-shaped moat survives as a dry moat.
Two views on the occupant
Archaeological view
Group of seven 4th-century keyhole mounds in Tamateyama-cho, Kashiwara City. The main Mound No.1 (~46m long) is archaeologically celebrated for its distinctive L-shaped (key-shaped) moat — a form that diverges from the standard keyhole outline with a right-angled turn at the front corner, rare nationwide. This attests to the diversity of burial ritual in the early Yamato polity. Associated mounds also contain pit-style stone chambers; finds include bronze mirrors, iron implements, stone artifacts, and beads. As a coherent early-4th-century group, the cluster documents the early Yamato polity's sphere on the southern bank of the Yamato River.
Imperial Household Agency view
Not designated by the IHA. Designated a National Historic Site in 1953. Managed by Kashiwara City.
Field notes
About 20 min walk from Kintetsu Osaka Line Sekiya Station. A key stop on a Kashiwara kofun tour combining Matsugakeyama (id:127) and Takaidayama (id:386). Some finds are displayed at the Kashiwara City Historical Museum.