When it comes to history classes during school days, do you remember starting from the Paleolithic period, with the first regular exam covering the term "Kofun period"?
That burial mound you saw in textbooks and reference books. There are many of them still existing in Kurashiki City.
Let's take a deeper look at the nationally designated historic site, Yata Otsuka Burial Mound, located about 1.8 km from Kibinomakibi Station in Mabi-cho, Kurashiki City.
What is Yata Otsuka Burial Mound
Yata Otsuka Burial Mound is a round burial mound located on the north bank of the Oda River, a tributary of the Takahashi River, in Yata, Mabi-cho.
From a distance, it looks like a forest, but within it lies the Yata Otsuka Burial Mound.
There is a hole next to the burial mound, allowing entry into the stone chamber.
One of the Three Great Burial Mounds of Okayama Prefecture
The stone chamber boasts a total length of 19.1 m, making it one of the top five longest in the country, and along with Musa Otsuka Burial Mound (Okayama City) and Koborizuka Burial Mound (Soja City), it is counted among the Three Great Burial Mounds of Okayama Prefecture.
The ceiling consists of four large stones, and the back wall is made of one large stone. The dimensions of Yata Otsuka Burial Mound are as follows:
- Total length: 19.1 m
- Main chamber for the coffin: 8.4 m
- Height: 3.8 m
- Width: 3.0 m
Typically, the stone chamber is locked.
This time, it was specially unlocked for the interview, and we took photos.
Some grave goods designated as Important Cultural Properties of Kurashiki City
Yata Otsuka Burial Mound has been known for a long time, and excavation surveys were conducted in 1901.
The grave goods discovered during the survey, including weapons, horse gear, and beads, are housed in Kibi-ji Temple and the Tokyo National Museum.
Among them, the tanhokan-tōdachi tsukagashira housed in Kibi-ji Temple was designated as an Important Cultural Property of Kurashiki City in 2020.
Interview with Kurashiki City Staff
I spoke with Fujiwara Noriyoshi from the Kurashiki City Cultural Property Protection Division about the reasons for the protection of Yata Otsuka Burial Mound as a nationally designated historic site.
I heard that Yata Otsuka Burial Mound is a must-see historic site for burial mound fans.
Fujiwara (no honorific)
Yata Otsuka Burial Mound is a large burial mound that ranks among the top five in the country for horizontal stone chambers. The spaciousness of the stone chamber, allowing an adult to stand without bending, is quite rare.
The Ishibutai Burial Mound in Nara Prefecture, said to be the tomb of Soga no Umako, who was believed to have had power comparable to the imperial family during the time of Prince Shotoku, also has a horizontal stone chamber and is nearly the same size as Yata Otsuka Burial Mound.
It is quite rare to find such a large stone chamber in a rural area, so Yata Otsuka Burial Mound is one of the burial mounds known to many researchers.
What kind of person was buried in Yata Otsuka Burial Mound?
Fujiwara
It is speculated that a powerful clan from the Nara period, the Shimotsumichi clan, was buried here.
The area around Yata Otsuka Burial Mound was known as Bitchu no Kuni Shimotsumichi-gun in ancient administrative districts, and it is said that the descendant of the Shimotsumichi clan is Kibi no Makibi, a scholar and politician from the Nara period.
Are excavation surveys conducted regularly?
Fujiwara
The most recent survey was conducted in 1983 by the former Mabi Town Board of Education.
The range of the burial mound was measured, and based on artifacts such as Sue ware that were excavated, it is believed that the burial mound was constructed in the latter half of the 6th century and that additional burials occurred until the early 7th century.
Additionally, this was when the parking lot and the path from the parking lot to the burial mound were developed, and benches were installed around the burial mound.
In the excavation survey conducted in 1901, decorative items, including the tanhokan-tōdachi tsukagashira, which is designated as a cultural property of Kurashiki City, were also excavated.
Decorative items, including the single phoenix ring-headed large sword hilt, are housed in Kibi Temple, which is built on the site of the Yata Temple ruins, and in the Tokyo National Museum.
Finally, please send a message to the readers.
Fujiwara
The nationally designated historic sites in Kurashiki City are only two: Yata Otsuka Burial Mound and Tatetsuki Site. They are very precious, and I would like the local people to know more about them.
And I would like to continue to protect these valuable historic sites as a citizen of Kurashiki City.
Conclusion
After visiting Yata Otsuka Burial Mound, please stop by the nearby Makibi Park. The Bamboo Shoot Teahouse in the park also has original masking tape and stamps of Yata Otsuka Burial Mound, making it a good souvenir.
Yata Otsuka Burial Mound, which has been carefully preserved for 1400 years, is one of the historic sites that Japan can be proud of and I want to pass it on for another 1000 years to come.
Articles about Japan Heritage in Kurashiki City
Data on Yata Otsuka Burial Mound
| Name | Yata Otsuka Burial Mound |
|---|---|
| Address | Yata, Mabi-cho, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 086-426-3851 |
| Website | Official Website of Kurashiki City |
