Also known as: Oshisakanochi-no-Misasagi (Mausoleum of Emperor Jomei)
Location
Nara Pref.
Shape
Octagonal mound
Mound length
42 m
Period
Early 7th c.
IHA designation
IHA-managed (no public entry)
Overview
Square mound (~65m per side) in Oshisaka, Sakurai City, Nara — IHA mausoleum of Emperor Jomei (34th Emperor). A defining example of the terminal Kofun period's shift from keyhole to square and octagonal mound forms. Together with the Ishinagadani mausolea in Taishi Town (Osaka) — Bidatsu (id:126), Yomei (id:125), Suiko (id:123) — it forms the late mausoleum cluster spanning Asuka and Sakurai. Emperor Jomei's son Emperor Tenji is interred at the Yamashinanomisasagi (Goboyano Kofun) in Yamashina, Kyoto; his other son, Emperor Tenmu, at the Hinokuma Daiuchi-no-Misasagi (id:269) in Asuka. Exterior viewing only.
Finds & research
No excavation permitted under IHA mausoleum regulations. Internal structure and grave goods remain unknown. Exterior viewable from surrounding area.
Two views on the occupant
Archaeological view
Occupant archaeologically unconfirmed. Square mound (hōfun) ~65m per side and ~9m high with three-tier construction, dated to the early 7th century (c. 641). Surrounded by a dry moat ~11m wide. Emperor Jomei was the father of Prince Naka no Ōe (later Emperor Tenji), Princess Hashihito, and Prince Ōama (later Emperor Tenmu), making him pivotal in the Asuka period. The square form illustrates the transition of imperial burial practice from the keyhole shape to square and then octagonal forms. No haniwa; stone paving (fukiishi) reportedly present.
Imperial Household Agency view
Officially designated "Oshisakanochi-no-Misasagi" and managed by the IHA as the mausoleum of Emperor Jomei (34th Emperor, r. 629–641). [Shape controversy] The IHA officially classifies the mound form as "jōen kahō" (upper-circular lower-square), but archaeological records describe a square mound (hōfun) ~65m per side and ~9m high with three-tier construction — a classification that does not match the IHA's official designation. This map uses the archaeological classification ("方墳"). The square form is characteristic of early-7th-century imperial mausolea during the transition from keyhole to square and octagonal forms. Access restricted under IHA mausoleum regulations.[IHA Visiting Info] Address: 奈良県桜井市大字忍阪 / Access: 近鉄 大和朝倉駅から徒歩約24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.
Field notes
About 15 min from Kintetsu Osaka Line Sakurai Station by car or bus. The Oshisaka district is known as a "utamakura" (poetic toponym) referenced in the Man'yoshu anthology. Combining a kofun visit with Man'yoshu-era history exploration is recommended. Can be combined with Andonzan (Emperor Sujin, id:203) and Shibuyamukaiyama (Emperor Keiko, id:204) for a Sakurai–Tenri kofun tour.