One Keyhole-Shaped Tomb, Designated by the State in 1978
Futatsuzuka Kofun (二塚古墳, Futatsuka Kofun) lies at Teraguchi, Katsuragi City, Nara Prefecture, and was designated by the state on 27 December 1978. Its category is that of historic sites, places of scenic beauty and natural monuments.
The managing body is Katsuragi City, appointed on 29 February 1980.
The mound runs 60 metres overall, with a round part 36 metres across and a front part 41 metres wide, both standing 10 metres high. It is a keyhole-shaped tomb facing north.
Three Stone Chambers Within One Mound
One tomb holds three chambers for burial.
The Agency records that the principal interior consists of 3 corridor-style stone chambers.
The chamber opening at the back of the round part has recesses on both sides, runs 16.4 metres, and is recorded as the original chamber of this tomb.
The chamber opening to the south-west of the western waist of the front part has a recess on one side and runs 9 metres, with a paved floor and a jointed stone coffin.
The chamber in the projecting part, opening to the south-east, likewise has a recess on one side and runs 7.8 metres.
The Agency remarks that building 3 corridor-style chambers within one mound, and the wide difference between the 3 in form, are alike matters of note. The record itself points out the rarity.
Three Chambers, No Two Alike
Within one mound, the chambers are not built alike.
The chamber in the round part has recesses on both sides, where the entrance to the burial room narrows on either hand.
Those in the front and projecting parts have a recess on one side only, narrowing on one hand.
The record calls the chamber in the projecting part unusual besides: its passage floor lies high and its burial room floor deep, with stone laid up to make a difference of 0.9 metres at the join.
The burial room is walled with natural granite, the passage with smaller granite: stone of two sizes within one chamber.
The lengths run 16.4, 9 and 7.8 metres, no two the same. The 3 are held to have been built in the early sixth century, together or close upon one another.
A Mound Cut from the Slope Rather Than Heaped Up
The shape was made by cutting away ground rather than piling it on.
The Agency records an unusual method of building: the high ground of the mountain slope was cut away to form the sides of the mound.
It adds that the tomb was raised on high ground with a wide prospect at the eastern foot of the range, using the slope itself.
The moat therefore varies in depth. It is recorded as deep on the east of the mound, shallow on the west, and higher between at front and back: a moat of 3 levels.
Built on flat ground, a moat would be cut evenly all round. On a slope, how deep one must cut depends on which way one faces.
The record notes facing stones on the front part, and a clear projection at the western waist.
Visiting
The tomb lies at Teraguchi, Katsuragi City, Nara Prefecture, managed by the city.
The Agency records that it stands at the southern end of a group of more than 30 tombs with corridor-style chambers, and that its scale shows it to be the core of that group.
It closes that among the few late keyhole-shaped tombs in the prefecture, this one may be called outstanding.
An institute excavated the site in 1958 and established its contents. From the 3 chambers came ornaments, horse trappings, blades, tools, farming implements, arms and pottery.
This is an open-air site, and whether and how it may be visited follows the managing body's arrangements. Check before travelling.
Q&A
- When was the tomb designated?
- On 27 December 1978, by the state. Its category is that of historic sites, places of scenic beauty and natural monuments.
- How many stone chambers are there?
- Three. The Agency remarks that building three within one mound, and the wide difference between them in form, are alike matters of note.
- How large is it?
- The mound runs 60 metres overall, with a round part 36 metres across and a front part 41 metres wide, both 10 metres high.
- How was it built?
- By cutting away the high ground of the mountain slope to form the sides of the mound, rather than by heaping earth up.
- From when does it date?
- The Agency records that the three chambers are held to have been built in the early sixth century, together or close upon one another.
Basic Information
| Name | Futatsuzuka Kofun (二塚古墳, Futatsuka Kofun) |
|---|---|
| Location | Teraguchi, Katsuragi City, Nara Prefecture |
| Designation | Historic site, place of scenic beauty and natural monument; designated as an archaeological site rather than as a building or a work of art |
| Year Designated | 1978 (27 December), designated |
| Quantity | 1 keyhole-shaped tomb, with 3 corridor-style stone chambers as its principal interior |
| Dimensions | The mound runs 60 metres overall, with a round part 36 metres across and a front part 41 metres wide, both 10 metres high. The chamber in the round part has recesses on both sides and runs 16.4 metres; that in the front part has one recess and runs 9 metres; that in the projecting part has one recess and runs 7.8 metres. The moat is of 3 levels, deep on the east and shallow on the west |
| Owner | Managed by Katsuragi City (from 29 February 1980) |
| Public Access | An open-air site; visiting follows the managing body's arrangements |
References
- Cultural Heritage Online: Futatsuzuka Kofun
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/172735
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/
- Katsuragi City Museum of History
- https://www.city.katsuragi.nara.jp/soshiki/rekishihakubutsukan/1/1/1835.html
- Nara Prefecture: cultural properties
- https://www.pref.nara.jp/
Last verified: 2026.09.16