A terminal-period kofun within the grounds of Abe Monjuin temple in Sakurai City. Visitors may freely enter one of Japan's most exquisitely crafted cut-stone chambers. Designated a Special Historic Site in 1952. A votive Fudo image enshrined in the chamber keeps the tomb alive as a place of worship today.
Finds & research
Corridor-type chamber (12.48m total; polished granite ashlar; single-slab main-chamber ceiling). No grave goods are known.
Two views on the occupant
Archaeological view
With most of the mound earth lost, the form is reconstructed as a round mound ~25–30m in diameter and ~6m high, built in the mid-to-late 7th century. The corridor-type chamber (12.48m total, opening south) is built of polished granite ashlar of extraordinary precision; the main chamber ceiling is a single huge slab dressed into a shallow dome. Often praised as the most refined cut-stone chamber in Japan. The occupant is unknown, but Abe no Kurahashimaro (Minister of the Left, d. 649), founder of Abe Monjuin, is the leading candidate.
Imperial Household Agency view
Not designated by the IHA. A Special Historic Site (National Historic Site 1923, elevated to Special Historic Site 1952) — a top-rank designation held by only a handful of kofun nationwide, alongside Ishibutai (id:268).
Field notes
About 15 min on foot from Sakurai Station. Combine with a visit to Abe Monjuin, famed for its National Treasure Monju Bosatsu by Kaikei. The kofun itself is free to visit. Kusahaka Kofun (id:574) lies in the residential area just northeast.