A 122m-long keyhole mound at the northern end of the Takaya hills. The rear circle is 78m across and 13m high, while the front section is 100m wide and 12.5m high. A moat about 15m wide encircles it. Heavy alteration of the terrain makes the scale of the outer embankment unclear. Construction of medieval Takaya Castle and later mausoleum works substantially changed the original mound; it is not known whether the right-angled north corner of the front section is original. Haniwa, Sue ware and the dating of a Persian glass bowl place construction around the first half of the 6th century. The Imperial Household Agency administers it as the Furuchi no Takaya no Oka mausoleum of Emperor Ankan.
Finds & research
Details of the burial facility and grave goods are unknown. Haniwa and Sue ware have been recovered, and a Persian glass bowl of the same type as an example in the Shosoin is also known. A moat about 15m wide surrounds the mound.
Two views on the occupant
Archaeological view
An early 6th-century keyhole mound at the southernmost point of the Furuichi group. 122m long, rear circle ~78m diameter, front section ~100m wide. Haniwa and stone covering (fukiishi) have been confirmed, demonstrating late-Kofun construction techniques. Emperor Ankan is said to have reigned c. 531–535, making this mound evidence that kofun construction in the Furuichi cluster continued into the 6th century. The occupant has not been empirically identified, but the haniwa types support a date in the early 6th century.
Imperial Household Agency view
Administered by the IHA as the mausoleum of Emperor Ankan (27th Emperor) . Its formal kofun name is Takayatsukiyama Kofun, and its mausoleum name is Furuchi-no-Takaya-no-Oka-no-Misasagi. Access is controlled by the IHA's Shoryobu bureau. [IHA Visiting Info] Address: 5-chome Furuichi, Habikino, Osaka / Access: about 10 min walk from Kintetsu Furuichi Station / Hours: 8:30–17:00 in principle (open year-round). Stamp: Furuichi Imperial Mausolea Office.
Field notes
General entry is prohibited as an IHA mausoleum, but the mound's outline can be viewed from surrounding roads. Though surrounded by residential development, the mound itself is well preserved. Habikino City Board of Education continues archaeological surveys in the vicinity.