Takarazuka Kofun

The Takarazuka Kofun is a Kofun period burial mound in the Shimogoshi-cho neighborhood of Izumo, Shimane, in the San'in region of Japan. It stands on the natural embankment of the Kando River among paddy fields, 100 meters east of Izumonishi High School. The tumulus was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1931 and is also called the Ippo-zuka.

Much of the mound has been lost, leaving the ceiling stone of the burial chamber exposed. Its original shape and size are therefore uncertain. Fragments of cylindrical haniwa were found nearby. The burial chamber opens to the south and measures 3.6 meters deep, 2.1 meters wide, and 2.5 meters high.

The chamber walls are made from cut tuff stone. The back wall is a single stone, while the east and west walls use large stones in two tiers; the front is closed by a stone wall. Inside is a house-shaped sarcophagus. Because the chamber had been open since antiquity, only a few iron arrowheads were recovered as grave goods.

The mound is generally dated to the latter half of the 6th century, towards the end of the Kofun period, based on the structure of its stone chamber. Burial mounds of this kind were built in Japan mainly between the middle of the third century and the early seventh century CE. Although the keyhole-shaped mound is the most distinctive form, plain round mounds, double-rectangle mounds, and square mounds also occur.

The Takarazuka Kofun is located on the natural embankment of the Kando River, surrounded by paddy fields and 100 meters east of Izumonishi High School. Much of the tumulus has been lost, to the extent that the ceiling stone of the burial chamber is exposed, so the original shape and size of the tumulus is uncertain. Fragments of cylindrical haniwa have been found in the vicinity. The burial chamber has an opening to the south, and is 3.6 meters deep, 2.1 meters wide, and 2.5 meters high. Cut tuff stone is used for the wall stones, the back wall is a single stone, the east wall of the side wall is two-tiered with large stones in the lower part, and the west wall is two-tiered with large stones in the back, while the front side is a stone wall. It contains a house-shaped sarcophagus. The burial chamber has been open since antiquity, so only a few iron arrowheads have been recovered as grave goods. It is estimated to have been built in the latter half of the 6th century, judging from the structure of the stone chamber.

The tumulus is about four kilometers (ten minutes by car) from Izumoshi Station on the JR West San'in Main Line.