Muro Miyayama Kofun is located on the southwestern edge of the
Nara Basin. It was built facing west, using the tip of a ridge at the northern foot of the Kose mountain range, in the center of Gose city. It is a large , which is shaped like a keyhole, having one square end and one circular end, when viewed from above, with a total length of 228 meters. The tumulus is orientated to the west-southwest. The mound is constructed in three tiers, the outside of which is covered with
fukiishi consisting of broken
granite stones, and each tier surrounded by cylindrical and morning glory-shaped
haniwa clay figures. The
haniwa at the top of the circular portion are figurative
haniwa in the form of houses and granaries. A shield-shaped moat surrounds the mound, and a
baizuka secondary mound, the , is built on the surrounding bank. A
Hachiman Shrine has been enshrined on the posterior circular mound since ancient times, hence the name "Miyayama". "Muro" is an ancient place name, and it appears in the
Wamyō Ruijushō as "Muro-go" in Katsuragi County,
Yamato Province. The posterior circular portion has a diameter of 105 meters and height of 2 meters and the rectangular anterior portion is 110 meters wide and 22 meters high. Several
archaeological excavations have been carried out, revealing that there are an estimated six burial facilities in total, two in the circular posterior portion, part, two in the rectangular anterior portion, and one each in the two the protruding parts. The two burials in the rear mound are vertical-entry stone
burial chambers containing a chest-shaped stone coffins, made by cutting and assembling
tuff slabs, with the long side stones standing on top of the bottom stone and the short side stones fitted in front and behind, and the inside was painted vermilion. In the southern burial chamber, the chest-shaped stone coffin can be viewed on-site. This long-chest-shaped sarcophagus, also known as the "Great King's Coffin," has a 3.77 meter long lid with eight tortoise-shell decorations on the top, and six rope-hanging protrusions. The
grave goods were in pieces due to tomb-robbing, but many items have been excavated, including a triangular-rimmed
bronze mirror with divine beasts, armor, iron swords,
magatama and tubular beads. A similar sarcophagus was found in the north burial chamber, and boat-shaped pottery was one of the notable grave goods. The construction of this tumulus is estimated to have been around the beginning of the 5th century, during the middle of the Kofun period, with the tumulus most likely the grave of Katsuragi no Sotsuhiko, who is mentioned in the
Kojiki and
Nihon Shoki as a military commander of Japanese forces on the
Korean peninsula in the war against the Kingdom of
Silla and the ancestor of the Katsuragi clan. His daughter was empress during the time of
Emperor Nintoku. There is an alternative theory that this is the tomb of the semi-legendary
Emperor Kōan, whose palace (according to the
Kojiki) was located in this area. The tumulus is about 3.3 kilometers south of
Kintetsu Gose Station on the
Kintetsu Railway Gose Line. 室宮山古墳 復原図.png|Outline drawing of Muro Miyayama Kofun showing locations of burials Muro Miya-yama Kofun minami-sekishitsu-2.jpg|Entrance to south burial chamber in posterior mound 室宮山古墳出土 家形埴輪-1.JPG|House-shaped haniwa 室宮山古墳出土 家形埴輪-2.JPG|House-shaped haniwa 室宮山古墳出土 衝角付冑・盾形埴輪.JPG|Armor-shaped haniwa 室宮山古墳 出土品.JPG|grave goods ==See also==