Q.Kitora and Takamatsuzuka murals: what makes them so special?
Published 2026-06-25
Answer
Kitora and Takamatsuzuka in Asuka are late-period tombs (kofun) built around the late 7th to early 8th century. Both are designated National Special Historic Sites, and both sets of murals are National Treasures. Kitora is the only tomb in Japan where all four guardian deities (the Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger and Black Tortoise) survive, and its ceiling bears a full-fledged astronomical star chart.
What kind of tombs are they?
Both Kitora and Takamatsuzuka are small round tombs in Asuka, Nara. They date to the Fujiwara Palace period (694–710 CE) — late-period tombs of the late 7th to early 8th century (Agency for Cultural Affairs / Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties). What they share is a set of vividly coloured, continental-style murals painted on the inner walls of the stone chamber. These are the only two tombs of this mural type confirmed in Japan, which is exactly why they are central to the story of the "Asuka-Fujiwara" capitals.
Top-tier on every count
Both tombs are designated National Special Historic Sites — Takamatsuzuka on 23 April 1973, and Kitora on 24 November 2000 (Agency for Cultural Affairs; Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties). The murals themselves are National Treasures: the Takamatsuzuka murals were designated on 17 April 1974, and the Kitora murals in 2019. In other words, both rank at the very top as historic sites and as works of art.
Special Historic Siteboth tombs designated
National Treasuremurals of both tombs
1974Takamatsuzuka murals designated
2019Kitora murals designated
How do the two tombs differ?
They look alike, but their highlights differ. Takamatsuzuka is famous for the group of female figures on its west wall — the "Asuka Beauties" — and the 1972 discovery of its murals set off a nationwide "Asuka boom." Kitora, by contrast, is defined by its complete set of four guardian deities and the star chart on its ceiling. The table below lines up the designations, signature imagery and discovery years.
| Item | Takamatsuzuka | Kitora |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Asuka | Asuka |
| Period built | Fujiwara period (late 7th–early 8th c.) | Fujiwara period (late 7th–early 8th c.) |
| Historic-site status | Special Historic Site (1973) | Special Historic Site (2000) |
| Murals as National Treasure | 1974 | 2019 |
| Murals discovered | 1972 | 1983 |
| Signature imagery | West-wall female figures ("Asuka Beauties") | Four deities, star chart, zodiac |
| Surviving four deities | Vermilion Bird lost (looted, Kamakura era) | All four survive (only such case in Japan) |
Kitora's complete four deities and its star chart
Inside Kitora's chamber the four deities are arranged by direction: the Azure Dragon to the east, the Vermilion Bird to the south, the White Tiger to the west and the Black Tortoise to the north. Because Takamatsuzuka's Vermilion Bird was lost to Kamakura-era looting, Kitora is the only tomb in Japan where all four survive (Agency for Cultural Affairs; Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties). The ceiling also bears a full astronomical chart with circles marking the celestial equator and ecliptic, a gold-leaf sun to the east, a silver-leaf moon to the west, and human-bodied, animal-headed zodiac figures below the deities. This star chart is among the oldest surviving full Chinese-style charts (the Agency for Cultural Affairs calls it "the oldest surviving example in East Asia"), making it exceptionally valuable in the history of East Asian astronomy.
all 4deities surviving at Kitora (only in Japan)
star chartfull Chinese-style chart on the ceiling
12human-bodied, animal-headed zodiac figures
Where can you see the murals today?
After discovery, Takamatsuzuka's murals suffered serious deterioration including mould, so the stone chamber was dismantled, the murals removed, and restoration continued through fiscal 2019. They are now kept at the Agency for Cultural Affairs' conservation facility within Asuka Historical National Government Park, with special viewings a few times a year. Kitora's murals were likewise detached and are shown at the conservation facility inside "Shijin-no-Yakata" (the Kitora Tomb Mural Experience Hall). If you are curious about Nara's National Treasures more broadly, this site's National Treasures feature (/cultural-properties) lists them by municipality. Enjoy the tombs in the wider context of the Asuka-Fujiwara World Heritage story.