Chibusan Tumulus

photo by STA3816 · CC BY-SA 3.0

6th-century tumulus with two painted circles like breasts; the entrance is 80 cm high.

The entrance to the chamber is about 80 centimetres high and 50 wide: you enter stooping, in groups of ten, and your clothes may get dirty. Inside, on the stone sarcophagus, red, white and black draw circles, triangles and diamonds; the two circles side by side at the front look like two breasts, and from them, so tradition has it, comes the name Chibusan. Outside, a replica of the sarcophagus and one of the stone statue of the warrior are always visible.

It is a keyhole-shaped tumulus (前方後円墳), 44 metres long according to the national database of cultural properties, built in the 6th century. In the round part is the stone burial chamber, with two rooms, and the painted sarcophagus is in the second; the city considers it one of the best-preserved decorated tumuli in Japan. A kofun is a burial mound of Japanese chiefs, built between the 4th and the 7th century. Since 12 October 1922 it has been a National Historic Site (史跡); on 28 January 1999 the nearby Obusan was added, a round tumulus 22 metres in diameter built in the second half of the 6th century, and the official name became ‘Chibusan-Obusan’.

ℹ️ ⚠️ The information comes from city pages updated in 2022, to be reconfirmed. The exterior and the replica of the sarcophagus can be visited at any time. The interior only on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, at 10:00 and 14:00, 10 people per session, by booking with the Yamaga city museum (tel. 0968-43-1145, also by email) and payment at the museum at least 10 minutes beforehand: 100 yen adults and university students, 50 yen up to high-school students. The museum, about 1 km away (15 minutes on foot, 2 by car), is open 9:00–16:30 (last entry 16:00), closed on Mondays, the day after a public holiday and at the end of the year; the city allows the visit only to those who get to the tumulus on their own. The access road is narrow and large vehicles may not get through. By bus: Sankō to the Yamaga Bus Center, then the bus for Nankan, getting off at ‘石村’, and 8 minutes on foot (Japanese Wikipedia). A review from 2017 says that photography is not allowed inside. The Obusan, 120 m away, can be seen from the outside and cannot be visited on its own. After the earthquake of 28/07/2026 no city page gives its status: confirm with the city museum before going.

Sources: city.yamaga.kumamoto.jp · city.yamaga.kumamoto.jp · online.bunka.go.jp · ja.wikipedia.org

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