Otsuka Hill ancient tomb

The ancient tomb on Otsuka Hill is a very large keyhole-shaped tomb 90 meters long.

It is thought to have been built before the fourth century AD and has been declared a National Treasure of historical interest. It is the oldest such tomb in the Tohoku (northeast) region of Japan. There are many smaller round shaped tombs in the area. Excavations carried out at the Otsuka Hill tomb in 1964 resulted in the discovery of 380 precious artifacts of which the most significant is a small round mirror with a triangular-shaped rim and an animal and deity design on the reverse side. This mirror is almost identical to the mirror found in the famous Maruyama tomb in Okayama Prefecture thus showing that the person buried in the Otsuka tomb had also been given the same type of mirror from the Yamato Imperial Court as the person buried in Maruyama.

These artifacts can be seen in the local history museum at Tsurugajo Castle and in the Fukushima Prefectural Museum close to Tsurugajo Castle and the Aizu Public Library.

Otsuka Hill tomb is an important archaeological site which has helped to further unravel some of the mysteries of ancient Japanese history.