Ancient Tombs of Western Asuka: From Kengoshizuka Kofun to Nakaoyama, Takamatsuzuka, the Hinokuma-dera Temple Site, and Kitora Kofun

This course begins on foot from Kintetsu Asuka Station, following the line of burial mounds in the western part of Asuka Village from north to south. Visitors explore the octagonal Kengoshizuka Kofun Burial Mound and Nakaoyama Kofun Burial Mound, Takamatsuzuka Kofun Burial Mound known for its murals, pass through the Hinokuma-dera Temple Site—the former temple of the immigrant Yamato no Aya clan—and conclude at Kitora Kofun Burial Mound. It can also be traveled by bicycle.

History and Regional Appeal

Scattered across the western hills and mountainsides of Asuka are burial mounds built between the late 7th and early 8th centuries. The four kofun and the Hinokuma-dera Temple Site on this route are all component parts of the World Heritage site "Ancient Capitals of Asuka and Fujiwara."

Paying attention to differences in mound shapes enriches the experience. Kengoshizuka Kofun Burial Mound and Nakaoyama Kofun Burial Mound are octagonal mounds, a form adopted for imperial mausoleums in the Asuka period. A prominent theory suggests Kengoshizuka Kofun Burial Mound holds Empress Saimei and her daughter Princess Hashihito. Nakaoyama Kofun Burial Mound has been pointed out as possibly being the mausoleum of Emperor Monmu due to its octagonal shape and single cremation burial.

Takamatsuzuka Kofun Burial Mound and Kitora Kofun Burial Mound are circular mounds with murals painted inside their stone chambers. In 1972, the first full-color kofun murals in Japan were discovered at Takamatsuzuka Kofun Burial Mound, sparking an archaeology boom across the country. Kitora Kofun Burial Mound was the second burial mound with continental-style murals found in Japan, following Takamatsuzuka Kofun Burial Mound. The murals from both are National Treasures and have been removed from the chambers for preservation.

Hinokuma, located between the two mural-painted tombs, was a base for immigrant clans. The Hinokuma-dera Temple Site is the ruin of a temple whose construction was begun as a clan temple by the powerful immigrant Yamato no Aya clan. The base platform of the lecture hall employed a tile-layered base (kawarazumi kidan) commonly seen in temples of Baekje. Murals at Takamatsuzuka Kofun Burial Mound also show influences from Goguryeo and Tang China. This area allows visitors to sense exchanges with East Asia through both its tombs and temples.

Major Highlights

• ​Kengoshizuka Kofun Burial Mound​​: With about 22 meters between opposing sides, this octagonal mound was restored to its original state through works completed in 2022, shining white atop the hill. The burial facility is a stone cist carved out of a massive tuff block into two side-by-side chambers. Koshitsuka Gomon Kofun Burial Mound, found adjacent to the southeast side, attracts attention for its connection to descriptions in the Nihon Shoki.
• ​Nakaoyama Kofun Burial Mound​​: This burial mound features a three-tiered octagonal mound surrounded by three layers of stone paving. While much of the earthen mound is lost today, boundary stones marking the angles and an octagonal wooden fence convey its dimensions. The stone chamber, roughly 0.9 meters square, has its interior entirely coated in cinnabar.
• ​Takamatsuzuka Kofun Burial Mound​​: A two-tiered circular mound. At the Takamatsuzuka Mural Hall immediately to the west, visitors can view reproductions of the murals and a full-scale model of the stone cist. The group of women painted on the west wall of the chamber is colorfully vivid and widely known by the nickname "Asuka Beauties."
• ​Hinokuma-dera Temple Site​​: The site is now within the grounds of Omiashi Shrine, where a thirteen-story stone pagoda from the late Heian period stands. Though partly broken and now standing at eleven tiers, it is designated as a National Important Cultural Property. Excavations have revealed an unusual temple layout facing west.
• ​Kitora Kofun Burial Mound​​: From the tomb viewing plaza, one can take in the two-tiered circular mound restored to its ancient dimensions. In the basement of the Shijin-no-Yakata, visitors can learn about the tomb and ancient Asuka through high-definition video and a full-scale stone chamber model. The chamber preserves the Vermilion Bird (Suzaku) in fine condition—a figure lost at Takamatsuzuka Kofun Burial Mound—and the astronomical chart on the ceiling is said to be the oldest existing in East Asia.

Recommended Route and Required Time

The estimated time required is about 5 hours. After getting off at Kintetsu Asuka Station, first head toward Kengoshizuka Kofun Burial Mound. It is about a 15-minute walk from the station. As there are no restrooms at the site, use those around the station beforehand.

Proceeding about 1.3 kilometers east-southeast from Kengoshizuka Kofun Burial Mound leads to Nakaoyama Kofun Burial Mound, and just south of it lies Takamatsuzuka Kofun Burial Mound. At Takamatsuzuka Kofun Burial Mound, viewing the reproductions and full-scale cist model at the Mural Hall before looking at the mound makes it easier to envision the size of the stone chamber once held inside the hill. If time permits, you may also visit the Mausoleum of Emperor Tenmu and Empress Jito, which shares the same octagonal form and lies about 500 meters north-northeast of Nakaoyama Kofun Burial Mound.

From Takamatsuzuka Kofun Burial Mound, it is about 680 meters south-southwest to the Hinokuma-dera Temple Site, and another 640 meters south-southeast brings you to Kitora Kofun Burial Mound. At Kitora Kofun Burial Mound, first view the circular mound from the viewing plaza. The actual murals are shown on the 1st floor of the Shijin-no-Yakata during limited periods with prior reservation. Viewing the real pieces after acquiring background information in the basement exhibition room makes the experience even more engaging. On the return, it is a 15-minute walk from Kitora Kofun Burial Mound to Kintetsu Tsubosakayama Station, or a 30-minute walk back to Asuka Station.

If traveling by bicycle, Asuka Rental Bicycle is available in front of Asuka Station without reservations. Riding from Kengoshizuka Kofun Burial Mound to Nakaoyama Kofun Burial Mound takes about 15 minutes, and from there to Takamatsuzuka Kofun Burial Mound, the Hinokuma-dera Temple Site, and Kitora Kofun Burial Mound takes about 5 minutes each. Bikes can be returned at any of the four depots: Kame-ishi Stone, Ishibutai, Asuka Station, or Kashihara.

Experience Summary

From octagonal mounds in the style of imperial tombs to mural-painted circular kofun and the site of an immigrant clan's temple. A day tracing the varying tomb forms from the late 7th to early 8th centuries and connections with East Asia as you descend southward along the western hills of Asuka. When finally standing before the circular mound of Kitora Kofun Burial Mound, try to imagine that the ceiling of the stone chamber inside this small mound bore an astronomical chart said to be East Asia's oldest.