nara-dataNara Tourism Data Portal by INVOLVE
← Back to articles世界遺産・明日香

Q.Asuka's tombs: how do Ishibutai, Takamatsuzuka and Kitora differ?

Published 2026-06-18

Answer

Asuka's famous tombs differ sharply in character. Ishibutai is one of Japan's largest square tombs, its giant stones exposed (said to be Soga no Umako's grave); Takamatsuzuka and Kitora are late-period tombs famous for vivid murals, both designated National Treasures. Tombs of imperial rank, meanwhile, take a special octagonal form.

Ishibutai — exposed megaliths, one of Japan's largest square tombs

Ishibutai is one of Japan's largest square tombs, its horizontal stone chamber laid bare after the covering mound was lost. Its 30-odd stones weigh roughly 2,300 tons in total. The occupant is said to be Soga no Umako, a powerful figure of the Asuka period. Famed for the sheer scale of its exposed megaliths, it is one of Asuka's signature sights.

2,300total weight of the chamber's stones (tons)

30+giant stones stacked

squaretomb shape (one of Japan's largest)

Takamatsuzuka & Kitora — late-period tombs with vivid murals

Takamatsuzuka and Kitora are both late-period tombs from the late 7th to early 8th century. Takamatsuzuka's vivid murals were found in 1972; its group of female figures, nicknamed the "Asuka Beauties," was designated a National Treasure in 1974. Kitora bears the four guardian gods, the zodiac, a star chart and sun/moon, with five mural surfaces designated National Treasures in 2019. Kitora's star chart is the world's oldest surviving formal Chinese-style star map, and Kitora is the only tomb where all four guardian gods survive (Takamatsuzuka lost its Suzaku to looting).

TakamatsuzukaKitora
National Treasure19742019
Signature murals'Asuka Beauties' (female figures)Four gods, zodiac, star chart
Four guardian godsSuzaku lost (looting)All four survive

Imperial tombs are octagonal — rank shown through shape

In the late Asuka period, the tombs of emperors (great kings) took a special octagonal form. In Asuka, the joint tomb of Emperor Tenmu and Empress Jitō, Nakaoyama Kofun (thought to be Emperor Monmu's tomb) and Kengoshizuka Kofun (possibly Empress Saimei's tomb) are octagonal. The octagon, linked to Chinese ideas of the Son of Heaven, is thought to express imperial rank through shape itself.

8sides of an octagonal imperial tomb

3main octagonal tombs in Asuka

2National-Treasure tomb murals in Asuka

See for yourself — the Asuka Historical National Government Park

Many of these tombs are maintained as the Asuka Historical National Government Park, and you can walk among the sites around Ishibutai and Takamatsuzuka. The Kitora and Takamatsuzuka murals can be viewed as exact replicas at their respective facilities (the originals are generally kept closed for preservation). Use the datasets below to check the locations of the components and cultural properties.

Datasets behind this article

Related reading

Sources