Nasu Travel Virtual Tours Simple travel guide to things to do, eat, and see in Nasu, Japan

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Let’s Enjoy Nasu with Kaori! — Welcome to Shimo-Samuraizuka Kofun, a large ancient keyhole-shaped burial mound.

Shimo-Samuraizuka Kofun

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Yuzusagami Village is famous for many ancient burial mounds, with more than twenty mounds in the area.
Among them, Shimo-Samuraizuka Kofun is known for its beautiful, well-preserved keyhole-shaped mound.
▼ Virtual View (Surroundings)

You can see the location and surroundings of Shimo-Samuraizuka Kofun with Google Street View.

▼ Kaori's Report

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People say that Yuzusagami Village has many burial mounds, with more than twenty mounds inside the village area.

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Among these mounds, Shimo-Samuraizuka Kofun is famous because in 1692 Tokugawa Mitsukuni (known as "Mito Komon") ordered an excavation here, which became Japan's first academic archaeological survey.

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The excavation tried to find "Ata Iide," a person named on the Nasu Kokuzōhi stone monument, but no epitaph or record that shows who was buried here was found.

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Who is buried here?
People say this mound was built in the late 4th century, and I quietly think about those distant times.

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Pine trees planted by Tokugawa Mitsukuni to stop the mound from eroding now create a quiet and beautiful scene.

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Many other burial mounds, large and small, stand around this area.
I wonder what this landscape looked like long ago.
When I spend time here, I can understand a little why people love archaeology.


(Kaori's Highlights)

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When someone says, "That small hill is actually a burial mound,"
you may start to see burial mounds in every little hill around you. I feel the same way.

▼ Contact Information


[Address] Yuzusagami Village


[More Info.] info Opening hours and other details

▼ Map


You can see the exact location of Shimo-Samuraizuka Kofun on the map below.

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