Katabi Kofun Group: Four Burials Between Two Park Mounds
Read four small fifth- to seventh-century burials as a changing cemetery landscape between two better-known mounds in the park.
Verified site photographs are being prepared.Discover Katabi Kofun Group: Four Burials Between Two Park Mounds
Katabi is a group of four small burial sites on the ridge between Besshoshita and Otomeyama kofun. Nara Prefecture describes a mixture of round and square forms; Kawai Town's cultural-property guide gives the clearest individual record. The sequence begins in the fifth century, with the two later mounds dated by the prefecture to between the late sixth and early seventh centuries. Town records describe direct-burial wooden coffins among those later graves, including one burial with no clearly established mound form. Read together, the group preserves evidence for changing burial practices across generations. The archaeological record and a present-day visitor route are different things: the official sources place the group in the park landscape but do not establish a dedicated public path to each mound.
Four burials, not one monument
The prefectural park inventory lists Katabi as a four-mound group of round forms and other shapes. Kawai Town places it in the Samita district, between Besshoshita and Otomeyama. Read the name as a cluster of separate burials, not as one large mound or a single enclosed attraction.
The earlier graves left objects that help date them
Town records describe No. 3 as a 24-metre circular mound with a surrounding ditch and asagao-shaped haniwa, dated before the first half of the fifth century. No. 1 is a square mound about 20.5 by 22.5 metres with a ditch. Its reported finds include cylindrical, asagao-shaped, lid-shaped and house-shaped haniwa, as well as a miniature stone sickle; the town dates it to the mid-fifth century. These are excavated finds recorded by the municipality, not objects visitors should expect to see displayed at the mounds.
Later burials changed the landscape
No. 2 is recorded as a circular mound about 20 metres across, with a ditch at the rear and a wooden coffin placed directly in the burial pit. Nara Prefecture places No. 2 and No. 4 in the broad sequence from the late sixth to the early seventh century; Kawai Town's guide dates No. 4 to the first half of the seventh century. No. 4 has no clearly established mound and may have had no mound at all. It contained two wooden coffins and Haji and Sue pottery. The contrast with the earlier haniwa-bearing mounds shows why the group is valuable as a sequence, while the archaeological record does not identify the people buried there.
Treat the public route as unresolved
Nara Prefecture locates the group on the ridge between Besshoshita and Otomeyama and links it to the park's central-area tomb information. The sources reviewed do not name a dedicated visitor trail to all four mounds or confirm that each mound is open for close approach. Use the official park map and existing public paths, follow signs and barriers, and do not cross vegetation or enter a mound area to match a map image. If the group is not clearly visible from an open path, treat the interpretation panel and the park-wide landscape as the visitor experience.
Plan the wider park visit
Nara Prefecture lists free entry to Umami Hillside Park and no regular weekly closure for the outdoor grounds; emergency closures and temporary restrictions can still apply. To reach the central area, the prefecture lists Nara Kotsu bus 43 from Kintetsu Gojōdo Station to the stop inside the central parking lot. Kintetsu Ikebe Station is about two minutes from the separate north greenway entrance, but the park's several areas are spread out. Parking lots open at 08:00 and close at season-dependent times: 18:00 in the usual season, 19:00 from June through August, and 17:00 from November through February; temporary lots close at 17:00. These are parking-gate hours, not a published closing time for every outdoor path. Check the current park map, notices and bus timetable before setting out. The museum has its own closure schedule.
Separate visitor photography from commercial filming
The park's public-use rules do not establish blanket permission to photograph protected mounds or enter their grounds. Nara Prefecture requires an application for filming carried out as a business and for events; it advises contacting the park office in advance, notes that management conditions can lead to refusal, and says approval may take two weeks or longer. Ask the park office before arranging professional or commercial photography, and remain on signed public paths.
What to look for
A four-burial cluster between Besshoshita and Otomeyama
Haniwa and a miniature stone sickle from the earlier graves
Evidence spanning the fifth century to the early seventh century
Photo notes
Photograph only from public paths and obey barriers. Nara Prefecture requires an application for filming carried out as a business or events; consult the park office early because approval may take two weeks or longer. Do not climb, touch or enter protected mounds. No third-party archaeological images are licensed for MyNara use.
Make a day of it
Explore guides close to this map point, then check the actual route before travelling. Distances below are straight lines, not walking distances or travel times; map points may not be entrances.
Sources & editorial status
Original MyNara draft based on the linked sources. Sources reviewed 24 October 2026. Opening arrangements, prices and offers may change; use the operator's current information before travelling.
- Nara Prefecture — park tomb inventory, four-mound count and current park landscape
- Nara Prefecture — Katabi group location between Besshoshita and Otomeyama; sequence and dates
- Kawai Town — southern cultural-property guide with individual mound forms, finds and dates
- Nara Prefecture — current Umami Hillside Park access, admission and facilities
- Nara Prefecture — current park use rules and season-dependent parking-gate hours
- Nara Prefecture — current park access, bus 43 from Gojōdo to the central parking lot, and Ikebe north entrance
- Nara Prefecture — application and lead-time guidance for commercial filming and events in the park