Kiyotosaku Cave Tombs

Kiyotosaku Cave Tombs is an archaeological site containing over 300 burial chambers carved into a hillside with painted walls and detailed geometric patterns. The chambers display careful craftsmanship in carving and decorating these underground spaces.

The site was discovered in 1968 during school construction work, with chamber 76 dating to the 7th century and displaying red ochre murals on its interior walls. This find represents a phase of Japanese archaeology that reveals substantial knowledge about early medieval burial practices.

The burial chambers reveal ancient Japanese funeral practices through their architecture and painted scenes of hunters, animals, and figures wearing traditional clothing. These depictions offer windows into the beliefs and daily life of people from that period.

The site is currently not open to public access due to radiation concerns in the area following the 2011 nuclear incident. The protection of the complex is maintained through remote monitoring systems that oversee the preservation of these historic chambers.

Tohoku University researchers use three-dimensional scanning technology to capture the largest human figure painting found in any Japanese tunnel tomb. This digital documentation allows the complex details of these artworks to be preserved even without physical access to the site.