Wakigami Kansuzuka Kofun

A wooded 150-metre keyhole tomb with a 15-metre moat and a southern corner shaped by an even earlier burial mound.

Verified site photographs are being prepared.

Verified site photographs pending

Discover Wakigami Kansuzuka Kofun

Wakigami Kansuzuka is a large fifth-century keyhole-shaped tomb set among fields and low hills in Gose. Gose City records a mound about 150 metres long, built in the latter half of the fifth century, and a moat roughly 15 metres wide; a Nara Prefecture walking map gives a length of 149 metres. Its southern front corner is especially revealing: the moat bends around a large circular tomb that was already there. A municipal archaeological report places Kansuzuka after Muro Miyayama in the sequence of major elite tombs in the southern Katsuragi area, while the burial facility itself remains unexcavated. That makes the site a layered archaeological landscape rather than an isolated monument. No source identifies the person buried here with certainty. A current public approach to the mound is not confirmed; do not cross fields or enter the mound.

Read the moat as part of the story

Gose City records a keyhole mound about 150 metres long, with a rear section about 102 metres in diameter, a front section about 88 metres wide and a moat roughly 15 metres across. The rear mound has three tiers and the front two. At the southern corner, the moat changes course to accommodate a large circular tomb that predates the keyhole mound. The visible outline therefore records more than one episode of burial in the same landscape.

What the burial finds can—and cannot—tell you

The city dates construction to the later fifth century and reports that a long, boat-shaped stone sarcophagus was said to have lain in the central burial chamber. Looting is associated with finds that include an openwork gilt-bronze belt fitting, a koto-bridge-shaped stone object and armour scales. Haniwa were also collected from the mound; a hat-shaped example was designated an Important Art Object in 1938. These are archaeological records, not objects visitors should expect to see at the site; the reviewed city page does not say where they are now displayed.

Keep burial identity separate from archaeological evidence

The municipal record documents the mound's form, construction period and recovered objects, but it does not name an occupant. Those facts help explain the scale and material culture of the burial; they do not establish a particular individual or clan. Leave the identity question open unless a reliable archaeological source resolves it.

A striking interpretation, not an identification

A Gose City cultural-property feature published in 2011 presents archaeologist Tadashi Den's interpretation of the mound's concealed valley setting and unusual proportions. He suggests that Kansuzuka could be an 'oku-tsuki'—a hidden tomb associated with the violent deaths of Ōmi and Prince Mayowa in accounts of the fifth-century court. This is a researcher's proposal built from landscape and historical comparison, not an excavated identification of the person buried here. The city's visitor record itself leaves the occupant unnamed, so treat the idea as one way to read the monument rather than as established history.

Read its place in the southern Katsuragi sequence

A Gose City archaeological report describes Kansuzuka as a successor to Muro Miyayama among the area's large elite tombs, with a measured length of 149 metres and a date in the middle-to-late fifth century. It says the burial installation has not been excavated. This is a regional archaeological interpretation, not evidence for a named occupant. The city tourism page's report that a long stone coffin was said to have been in the central burial area should therefore remain attributed, rather than presented as a chamber visitors can see.

Use walking maps as context, not permission

Gose City marks Kansuzuka on its Akitsushima Road map, and a Nara Prefecture cultural-property walking map also places the mound in a wider route with other Gose sites. The prefectural map is dated November 2009 and warns that the course includes private land. Neither map confirms today's path condition, a managed entrance or a right to cross fields. Check with Gose City's Tourism Promotion Division before planning a dedicated walk; follow current signs and clearly public paths only, and turn back if the approach is unclear. The city publishes no opening schedule or admission fee in the reviewed record and lists no parking or toilet at the site.

What to look for

A 150-metre keyhole tomb

Gose City records its length and a moat about 15 metres wide; the southern corner bends around an older circular tomb.

A landscape, not an indoor attraction

The wooded monument stands among rural fields; there is no on-site parking or public toilet listed by the city.

An open archaeological question

Its political context and possible connection with the Katsuragi lineage remain interpretations, not a confirmed burial identity.

Photo notes

No photograph has been licensed for MyNara publication. Follow any on-site restrictions and ask the site or land manager before organised or commercial photography. Do not enter a restricted area for a closer view.

Plan your visit

LocationKashiwara, Gose City · approximate point from Gose City's map link, not a surveyed entrance

Visitor detailsLocation: Kashiwara, Gose City, Nara PrefectureMound and moat: Keyhole-shaped; Gose City gives about 150 m overall, while a Nara Prefecture map gives 149 m; rear mound about 102 m in diameter, front about 88 m wide; moat about 15 m across (Gose City)Date: Later fifth century, according to Gose City's tourism recordBurial identity: Not identified; Gose City's 2011 cultural feature introduces one researcher's proposed historical interpretation, not a confirmed occupantFacilities: Gose City lists no parking and no toilet at the siteOpening and admission: No managed schedule or admission fee confirmed in the reviewed city recordsVisitor approach: Marked on Gose and Nara Prefecture walking maps; the prefectural map (2009) warns that the course includes private land. Confirm a current public approach; do not cross fields or enter the moundVisitor information sources reviewed 24 October 2026. Confirm current hours and fees before visiting.Check source for visitor details Gose City's official listing gives the Kashiwara location and archaeological overview; its Akitsushima route map and Nara Prefecture's 2009 walking map provide regional route context, but the prefectural map warns that portions include private land. These maps do not verify present path conditions or access permission at the mound. The city lists no parking or toilet at the site and publishes no managed hours or fee in the reviewed pages. A Gose City archaeological report says the burial facility has not been excavated; the occupant remains unidentified. Respect signs and land boundaries; ask the city if the public route is unclear.

Getting thereGose City maps Kansuzuka on the Akitsushima Road route, and Nara Prefecture's November 2009 cultural-property walking map includes it in a wider local course. The prefectural map explicitly warns that some parts pass through private land; neither map confirms today's path status or permission to approach the mound. Follow only clearly public paths and current signs, and contact Gose City's Tourism Promotion Division if the approach is unclear. Do not cross fields, enter woodland or climb the mound.

Official information See this area on the map

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.