Kengoshizuka Tomb

This is an ancient tomb from the late Asuka period located on Mayumi Hill in Koshi, Asuka Village, Takaichi County, Nara Prefecture. It is an octagonal tomb decorated with two tiers of cut dacite (Terayama stone) stones. The tomb chamber was carved out of a huge tuff stone, with a partition wall in the middle, creating two stone chambers of the same size. Both chambers are 2.1 meters long, 1.2 meters wide, and 1.3 meters high, and a coffin base is carved out. The ceilings are dome-shaped with ridges at each corner. The entrance is blocked off by a double door stone, the inner door made of tuff and the outer door made of slightly larger dacite, and the joints between the entrance and the tomb chamber are sealed with plaster. Currently, due to grave robbing, the outer door stone is tilted significantly to the south, and the inner door is no longer on site. Two investigations unearthed many fragments of the Kyocho coffin. These included gilt bronze eight-flowered base fittings, cloisonne tortoise shell-shaped ornamental fittings, and glass beads threaded with silver wire. The burial mound and grave goods were both excellent, and there is a theory that this is the joint burial site of Emperor Saimei and Princess Hashihito. During the Edo period, it was also called "Kengoshi."

[Inokuma Kanekatsu]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

奈良県高市(たかいち)郡明日香(あすか)村越(こし)の真弓丘にある飛鳥(あすか)時代後半の古墳。石英安山岩（寺山石）の二段積みの切り石で墳丘を飾る八角形墳である。墓室は凝灰岩の巨石を刳(く)り抜き、中央に間仕切り壁を設け、同寸の石室を2室つくる。両室とも長さ2.1メートル、幅1.2メートル、高さ1.3メートルで棺台を刳り出す。天井はそれぞれ四隅に稜(りょう)をもったドーム状に仕上げる。入口は二重の扉石で閉塞(へいそく)しており、内扉は凝灰岩、外扉は一回り大きい石英安山岩を使い、墓室との目地(めじ)は漆食(しっくい)で密封している。現在では盗掘のため、外扉石は大きく南に傾斜し、内扉も現地にない。二度の調査によって夾紵(きょうちょ)棺の破片が多数出土した。金銅製八花形座金具、七宝製亀甲(きっこう)形飾金具、銀線を通したガラス玉がある。墳丘、副葬品とも優品で、これを斉明(さいめい)天皇と間人(はしひと)皇女の合葬陵とする説がある。江戸時代「けんごうし」とよばれたこともある。

［猪熊兼勝］

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