Sanmyōji Kofun

Overview

Sanmyoji Kofun is a burial mound in the Iwaki (Iwaojo) neighborhood of Kurayoshi City, Tottori Prefecture, in the San'in region. Its shape is generally described as a circular mound, though some regard it as square or polygonal. It is one of the mounds making up the Mukaiyama Kofun Cluster spread across Kurayoshi, a long-known and storied tumulus. Designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1931, it stands apart from the cluster's undesignated mounds, carrying the standing of a formally protected monument.

Highlights

• ●A storied mound designated a National Historic Site in 1931
• ●The interest of a shape read as circular, square, or polygonal
• ●Its standing as the nationally designated mound of the Mukaiyama cluster
• ●A setting that conveys the changing tomb forms of the late Kofun period

History

The tomb is thought to date to around the 7th century, near the very end of the Kofun period. Its basically circular form reflects the trend of the age as the keyhole-shaped tombs faded away. The value of Sanmyoji Kofun was recognized early, and it was designated a National Historic Site in 1931. As the nationally designated mound within the Mukaiyama cluster, it is an indispensable site for telling the story of the region's ancient past.

Map

35.4409, 133.8322 · Wikidata

Suggested itinerary

1. 1Head from JR Kurayoshi Station to Sanmyoji Kofun in Iwaki
2. 2Walk a full circle around the designated mound to study its form
3. 3Compare its makeup with other mounds of the Mukaiyama cluster
4. 4Round out the trip with Kurayoshi sights such as the white-walled storehouse district

Did you know?

💡 The place name Iwaki carries echoes of rock and castle, fitting for a tomb site tied to a culture of stone. That scholars variously read it as circular, square, or polygonal itself speaks to the intrigue of its form and the depth of its study.

Nearby spots