Tomio-Maruyama Kofun: Japan's Largest Circular Burial Mound

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A fourth-century burial mound on Nara's western edge, about 110 metres across and associated with discoveries including a sinuous iron sword, shield-shaped mirror and wooden coffin.

AI-generated illustrative reconstruction of the archaeological scene shown at Tomio-Maruyama Kofun; not a documentary photograph.

AI-generated visual study · not a documentary photograph

Discover Tomio-Maruyama Kofun: Japan's Largest Circular Burial Mound

Tomio-Maruyama Kofun is an archaeological site in western Nara City whose scale becomes striking when read against the suburban streets around it. Built in the latter half of the fourth century, Nara City reconstructs the circular mound at about 110 metres across and identifies it as Japan's largest circular tumulus. Successive excavations have revealed different parts of its story: a sinuous iron sword and shield-shaped bronze mirror were recovered from a clay-covered burial facility, while the seventh survey uncovered a wooden coffin with mirrors and a comb. These finds have separate archaeological contexts and are being conserved and studied; visitors should not expect them to be on display at the mound or to find an open excavation trench there.

Read the scale of a circular tomb

Nara City's cultural-property account places the mound in Maruyama No. 1 Green Space and describes a three-tiered circular form about 110 metres in diameter. That measurement is easy to miss at ground level: this is a broad, low archaeological landscape rather than a dramatic stone monument. A small projecting platform, called a tsukuridashi, extends from the north-eastern side. The city's excavation reporting distinguishes it from the main mound and documents a burial facility there. The approximate map point on this page is for orientation only; it is not a surveyed public entrance.

Understand why the finds made news

Excavation of the projecting area revealed a wooden coffin protected within a clay-covered burial facility. Nara City's reporting describes mirrors and a comb inside the coffin; the Nara Prefectural Archaeological Institute's technical paper explains that the sinuous iron sword and shield-shaped bronze mirror were found outside the coffin within the covering clay. The city reports that the coffin is 5.54 metres long and about 70% survives. Its April 2026 plan places the coffin at the Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties for joint conservation: PEG impregnation was due to begin in April, finish in November, and be followed by freeze-drying through February 2027 and surface finishing in March. These are the published project milestones, not a confirmed completion update or a public viewing schedule; the city's longer-term aim to exhibit the coffin has no announced date. Keeping the find contexts separate matters: the objects were not all arranged together inside the coffin. The buried person's identity remains unknown.

Set the mound in its fourth-century landscape

The Nara Prefecture tourism article explains the site's position near the Tomio River and the old route toward the Osaka plain and the Nara basin. This helps explain why a huge monument could matter beyond its immediate neighbourhood: waterways, routes and visible earthworks all shaped how authority could be experienced. That is an interpretation offered in the prefectural feature, not a proven identification of the person buried here. The safest way to read the site is to separate the archaeological evidence from broader historical hypotheses.

Check how much of the site is publicly visible

Nara City's visitor information points to Wakakusa-dai Chuo bus stop and says there is no parking lot at the kofun. The city continues research and conservation, so conditions may change. Stay on public roads or clearly designated public paths, obey current barriers and signs, and do not climb the mound or enter a work area. If you want an on-site explanation, check for a current guided viewing event instead of assuming one is available every day.

Plan around the nearby information hub

Nara Prefecture identifies Crossway Nakamachi, a roadside station just southwest of the kofun, as a local information hub for the mound and western Nara. Its tourist-information desk is listed as open 09:00–17:00; the public toilet and nursing room are listed as available 24 hours. These facilities belong to the roadside station, not the kofun. They do not establish an approach across private land or permission to park at the archaeological site. Check the roadside station's current notices before relying on its visitor services.

What to look for

An immense circular earthwork

At about 110 metres across, the mound is recognised by Nara City as Japan's largest circular tumulus.

Unusual fourth-century grave goods

Excavations found a sinuous iron sword, shield-shaped mirror, wooden coffin, mirrors and comb; contexts differ and the identity of the buried person is unknown.

A living research site

Read the landscape respectfully and check for official guided openings; routine access across the mound is not confirmed.

Photo notes

No MyNara-licensed photograph is attached. Use only a public viewpoint and obey current site signs. Do not photograph active excavation areas, workers or nearby residents without permission; do not reuse municipal or tourism-directory photographs without the relevant licence.

Plan your visit

LocationMaruyama 1-chome, western Nara City · map point is approximate, not a visitor entrance

Visitor detailsLocation: Maruyama 1-chome, Nara City, Nara; the map point is approximateDate and type: Latter half of the fourth century; circular mound about 110 m in diameter, with a projecting tsukuridashiPublic transport: Nara City lists Wakakusa-dai Chuo bus stop as immediately nearby; check current Nara Kotsu service and the correct direction before travelParking / access: Nara City says there is no parking lot at the kofun. Current hours and unrestricted mound access are not published in the sources reviewed.Nearby visitor facilities: Crossway Nakamachi, just southwest of the kofun, lists its tourist-information desk as open 09:00–17:00 and its public toilet and nursing room as available 24 hours; these are roadside-station facilities, not facilities at the mound.Visitor information sources reviewed 24 October 2026. Confirm current hours and fees before visiting.Check source for visitor details Nara City's cultural-property page identifies the mound's location, archaeological form, listed bus approaches and absence of site parking. The city's April 2026 conservation plan schedules the recovered wooden coffin's PEG treatment through November 2026, freeze-drying through February 2027 and surface finishing in March 2027; these were announced milestones, not independently verified completion dates. The city mentions future exhibition as an aim but gives no date. Neither the conservation project nor its research facility is a visitor attraction, and these notices do not establish routine public access to the mound. Nara Prefecture's current Crossway Nakamachi page identifies the roadside station just southwest of the kofun, lists its tourist-information desk hours as 09:00–17:00, and says its toilet and nursing room are available 24 hours. These are roadside-station facilities, not facilities at the kofun; the source does not establish a visitor route between them. Confirm current barriers, public viewing conditions, transport and any guided event before setting out. No entrance hours, fee, on-site toilet, step-free route or daily tour were confirmed. No field visit or interview has been completed.

Getting thereNara City lists buses from Kintetsu Tomio, Gakuen-mae and Kintetsu Koriyama stations to Wakakusa-dai Chuo, immediately by the site. Bus routes and frequency can change, so check the current Nara Kotsu timetable for your date and return journey. The city states that the kofun has no parking lot. Use the public-road approach shown in current official directions; the approximate map pin is not an entrance, and do not cross barriers, private land or active work areas.

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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.