Shibagahara Tomb: A Keyhole-Square Mound from the Dawn of the Kofun Period
The Shibagahara Tomb (芝ヶ原古墳) is a square-fronted mounded tomb from the period when mounded tombs first appeared, in Terada, Joyo City, Kyoto Prefecture, and was designated a national Historic Site in 1989.
Northern Joyo is home to the Kutsukawa tomb cluster, nearly 90 mounds large and small built mainly in the fifth century. The Shibagahara Tomb belongs to the Shibagahara subgroup and is numbered Shibagahara No. 12. The Joyo City Board of Education excavated it from June to August 1986.
It was designated on 6 September 1989. Its grave goods are separately designated as an Important Cultural Property, the Artifacts Excavated from Shibagahara Tomb in Kyoto.
Why It Is Protected
According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the mound has a square rear section 21 metres north to south and 19 metres east to west, with a projection on its south side. Most of the projection has been cut away by a road, but the waist can be reconstructed at 11.6 metres wide and the projection was at least about 3.5 metres long. Joyo City gives the rear section as about 21 metres east to west and 23 metres north to south, so the figures differ between sources.
The burial was a wooden coffin of assembled planks placed directly in a pit dug into the mound; it is reconstructed at 3 metres long and 0.8 metres wide. Gravel covered the pit, and offering vessels such as jars and pedestalled dishes came from the gravel. The pottery belongs to an early phase of the Shonai style.
The agency regards the Shibagahara Tomb as important among the earliest tombs because of its square-fronted form and the bronze bracelets with projecting rims buried in it.
What to Look For
Near the north end of the coffin lay a mirror with four beasts, 2 bronze bracelets, 8 jadeite magatama, 187 jasper tube beads and 1,276 glass beads. Each bracelet carries 72 radiating ribs, every other one ending in a projection; the agency describes them as the most faithful copies of a limpet shell and an early form.
On site, trace the relationship between the square rear section and the projection cut by the road. The grave goods are kept at the address of the Joyo City Museum of History and Folklore, and seeing the tomb and its finds together brings an early chieftain's grave into focus.
Visiting
Joyo City lists the Shibagahara Tomb among the tombs that can be visited. According to the city, it is about 10 minutes on foot east of Kutsukawa Station on the Kintetsu Kyoto Line, and it is being laid out as a historic site park.
No hours or fees are published. It is an outdoor site, so stay within the prepared areas to avoid damaging the mound.
Q&A
- When was the Shibagahara Tomb built?
- At the time mounded tombs first appeared; the pottery from its gravel layer is of an early Shonai-style phase.
- When was the Shibagahara Tomb designated a Historic Site?
- On 6 September 1989.
- What was found in the Shibagahara Tomb?
- A four-beast mirror, 2 bronze bracelets, 8 jadeite magatama, 187 jasper tube beads and 1,276 glass beads, among other items.
- How do I get to the Shibagahara Tomb?
- About 10 minutes on foot east of Kutsukawa Station on the Kintetsu Kyoto Line, according to Joyo City.
- What is special about the Shibagahara Tomb bracelets?
- They have 72 radiating ribs with projections on every other rib, the most faithful copies of a limpet shell and an early form.
Basic Information
| Name | Shibagahara Tomb |
|---|---|
| Location | Terada, Joyo City, Kyoto Prefecture |
| Designation | Historic Site |
| Year Designated | Designated 1989/09/06 (Heisei 1) |
| Quantity | 1 tomb (Shibagahara No. 12) |
| Dimensions | Square section 21 m north-south, 19 m east-west (per the agency) |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database |
| Public Access | Outdoor site. No hours or fees published |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Shibagahara Tomb
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/401/1750
- Cultural Heritage Online: Shibagahara Tomb
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/191202
- Joyo City: Tombs You Can Visit (Japanese)
- https://www.city.joyo.kyoto.jp/0000006270.html
Last verified: 2026.09.27