6th century burial mound found in Nara temple parking lot

NARA, Sep 09 (News On Japan) - Horyu-ji Temple, known as the world's oldest wooden structure, has made a surprising discovery in its parking lot, where a garden embankment turns out to be an ancient burial mound.

Professor Tadahiro Toyoshima of Nara University said, "When we realized it was indeed a burial mound, everyone was truly astonished."

Locals had long regarded this feature as mere garden shrubbery. However, this specific garden bed happened to be on government-owned land and had a signboard displaying the word "burial mound," according to the education committee of Ikaruga-cho, Nara Prefecture.

Since excavation began last year by Nara University and others, a stone chamber buried underground was discovered along with rare and highly decorative pottery, indicating that this mound, known as the "Funaduka Burial Mound," with a diameter of approximately 8.5 meters, was constructed in the late 6th century before the construction of Horyu-ji Temple.

by Brian Dentry

Source: 日テレNEWS

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