A large round mound approximately 82m in diameter, situated on the southern slope of Mt. Abuyama (281m elevation) with panoramic views over the Settsu-Kawachi plains. Late-7th-century terminal Kofun period; contains a horizontal stone chamber. Renowned for exceptional grave goods—a lacquered wooden coffin, a mummy-like body, and a Daiori-kan crown—and the Kamatari attribution was reinforced by 2024 research. Designated a National Historic Site. The 1934 excavation found a mummy but the body was reburied and lost—earning it the title "phantom excavation." Kamatari, who assisted Emperor Tenji in the 645 Taika Reform and overthrew the Soga clan, was posthumously granted the Daiori-kan rank and the Fujiwara surname, becoming the founding ancestor of the Fujiwara clan.
Finds & research
1934 excavation by Kyoto Imperial University researchers Okamoto Kenji and Umehara Sueji found a mummy-like male body (estimated 50s) in a lacquered coffin with a crown matching the "Daiori-kan" rank, silk garments, jewels, and silver belt fittings. The body was reburied and subsequently lost (the "phantom excavation"). In 2024, a research team led by the National Museum of Japanese History confirmed the crown matched the Daiori-kan form through detailed analysis of old photographs, strengthening the Kamatari attribution and generating major press coverage.
Two views on the occupant
Archaeological view
In 1934, Kyoto Imperial University researchers Okamoto Kenji and Umehara Sueji excavated the tomb and found a mummy-like male body (estimated 50s) in a lacquered coffin with a crown matching the "Daiori-kan" (highest court rank), silk garments, jewels, and silver belt fittings. The body was reburied and subsequently lost. In the 2010s, old photographs and X-ray analysis were reexamined; in 2024, a research team including the National Museum of Japanese History identified the crown form as consistent with the Daiori-kan, strengthening the case for Nakatomi no Kamatari (Fujiwara no Kamatari, 614–669 CE). The Nihon Shoki records that Kamatari received the Daiori-kan rank immediately before his death. The Kamatari attribution is now the leading theory, though not definitively proven.
Imperial Household Agency view
Not managed by the IHA. National historic site. Because the occupant has not been definitively identified as imperial or aristocratic, the tomb is not listed in the IHA mausoleum register. Located in Hara, Takatsuki City, Osaka. Academic attention has intensified since the 2000s, with ongoing discussion of its historic site status.
Field notes
Visiting requires hiking a mountain path; advance preparation is recommended.