Marishitenzuka-kofun, Ancient burial mound in Japan

The Marishitenzuka Kofun is a keyhole-shaped burial mound in Iizuka, Oyama, Tochigi Prefecture. It measures about 117 meters long, with a 70-meter-diameter, 10-meter-high circular rear mound and a 75-meter-wide, 7-meter-high trapezoidal front mound, both built in two tiers. A 20-meter-wide moat, double in places, surrounds it, and a small chapel to Marishi-ten stands on the summit.

The Marishitenzuka Kofun was built at the end of the 5th century, during the middle Kofun period, as shown by its shape and excavated cylindrical haniwa. It is the third-largest kofun in Tochigi Prefecture and, with the nearby Biwazuka Kofun, represents the chiefly tombs of the Shimotsuke region. It was designated a National Historic Site on 21 July 1978, and the protected area was extended on 20 September 2002 to cover the remains of the moats.

The mound takes its name from a small chapel to Marishi-ten on its summit, a Buddhist deity linked to the sun and to warriors. The Marishitenzuka-Biwazuka Kofun Museum beside the site displays artifacts recovered from the tumulus, including cylindrical haniwa.

The site is about 15 minutes by car from Oyama Station on the Tohoku Shinkansen. The Marishitenzuka-Biwazuka Kofun Museum, next to the tumulus, displays artifacts excavated from the mound. The mound is 100 meters south of the Biwazuka Kofun, which has almost the same size and orientation.

Haniwa, clay figures, were placed around the mound to mark sacred spaces and provide spiritual protection. These ceramic pieces reveal details about daily life and society during the Kofun period.