Ōjiyama Kofun, Ancient burial mound in Nishikori, Ōtsu, Japan
Ōjiyama Kofun is an ancient burial mound on the western shore of Lake Biwa near Ōtsu, built with a distinctive two-part rectangular shape. The structure sits at 164 meters elevation and is covered with stones that define its form and surface.
The mound was built in the late Kofun period, around the late 4th century. Excavations during the 1960s and 1970s uncovered five burial chambers inside it.
The structure features decorative stone arrangements on the side facing Lake Biwa, showing that builders thought carefully about how the mound appeared from the water. This design choice reveals something about what mattered to the people who created it.
The site is easy to reach and located about a ten-minute walk from Ōmijingūmae Station. The archaeological park provides direct access to the mound and the surrounding area is straightforward to explore.
The site actually comprises two separate structures: alongside the main rectangular mound stands a smaller circular one just to the east. This unusual arrangement shows that multiple people were buried here following specific building patterns.
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