Kyoto City's largest kofun, hidden on the Fushimi hills — quiet proof that a near-royal lord ruled this basin centuries before the Heian capital.
Finds & research
The rear-mound burial is a clay-encased coffin (confirmed in a 1974 Imperial Household Agency survey). Grave goods include lamellae and circular fittings of a leather-bound helmet. Shield-shaped haniwa (including one incised with a human face) were recovered in a 1995 survey.
Two views on the occupant
Archaeological view
A keyhole mound about 120m long with a rear circle about 60m across; most of the front has been lost. Kyoto City research places it in the late 4th to early 5th century and evaluates it as the city's largest kofun, built for a powerful northern Yamashiro chief.
Imperial Household Agency view
The five-ring pagoda on its summit is designated (1884) as the Kohata Tomb of Prince Iyo, Emperor Kanmu's son who died wrongfully accused in 807. The whole mound is managed as the tomb precinct.
Field notes
The approach is locked; exterior viewing only. Near JR Momoyama Station.