Discovered on 21 March 1972, the frescoes were already national news five days later.
On 21 March 1972 the tumulus frescoes came to light (the famous ‘Asuka Beauties’ on the west wall, together with four guardian beasts and a map of constellations), and on 26 March, five days later, the news was already in newspapers all over Japan. The tumulus had already been a Special Historic Site since 1973 when, in 1974, the frescoes were designated a National Treasure.
The kofun (an ancient Japanese burial mound, this one from the Asuka-Nara period) stands in the village of Asuka, south of Nara. The restored frescoes are now displayed in a dedicated facility, separate from the tumulus itself.
ℹ️ The outer tumulus can be visited freely at any time. The facility displaying the restored frescoes is open 9:00–17:00, last entry at 16:30: tickets 300 yen for adults.
🚉 Asuka · 15 min walk
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