A late-period mound preserved in Sakurabasama Historic Park, Yasu City. Its chamber still holds an intact house-shaped sarcophagus of Aso pink stone shipped from Kumamoto — a first-rate site to visit, showing that royal-grade coffin culture reached Omi. It sits at the foot of Mt. Oiwa, famed for its bronze-bell hoards.
Finds & research
Single-sleeved corridor-type chamber (~14.3m, the largest in Shiga) with an intact monolithic house-shaped sarcophagus of Aso pink stone. Finds: gold thread, lamellar armor, glass and silver beads, horse trappings, weapons.
Two views on the occupant
Archaeological view
A round mound ~30m across and 8m high, built in the early-to-mid 6th century. Its single-sleeved corridor-type chamber, ~14.3m long, is the largest surviving in Shiga, and holds an intact monolithic house-shaped sarcophagus of Aso pink stone (Aso welded tuff from Kumamoto's Uto Peninsula, also called Makado stone), 2.6m long — the prefecture's largest. Hauling the coffin from Kyushu to Lake Biwa attests to the occupant's power and royal connections. Finds include gold thread, lamellar armor, beads, horse gear, and weapons. The adjacent Maruyama Kofun, built slightly earlier, also holds a house-shaped sarcophagus of Aso pink stone.
Imperial Household Agency view
Not designated by the IHA. Part of the National Historic Site "Oiwayama Kofun Group" (Maruyama and Kabutoyama designated 1941; six mounds added in 1985 for eight total), managed by Yasu City.
Field notes
Within Sakurabasama Historic Park. Open 09:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30), free; closed Mondays, the day after holidays, and over New Year, among other closures. Check current information.