![]() Numerous suggestions have been put forward to account for this unique structure. ![]() The Masuda no Iwafune (the ‘Rock Ship of Masuda’). At the base of the stone are lattice-shaped indentations which are believed to be related to the process that was used by the builders to flatten the sides of the rock. The top of has been completely flattened and there are two one-meter square holes carved into it and a ridge line that is parallel to both holes. The stone carving, which stands near the top of a hill in Asuka, is 11 metres in length, 8 metres in width and 4.7 metres in height, and weighs approximately 800 tonnes. The largest and most enigmatic of the carved stones in Asuka is the Masuda-no-iwafune (the 'Rock Ship of Masuda' ). The village of Asuka is known for many megalithic discoveries, including the Ishibutai tomb believed to have been built in the seventh century for Soga no Umako, a son of Iname who died in 626. He had close ties to the Koguryo kingdom, so the architectural design of his tomb may have been influenced by the tombs associated with that kingdom.Īrtist’s rendition of the Miyakozuka pyramid-shaped tomb. Soga no Iname was a statesman who acquired great power from his control of immigrants from China and the Korean Peninsula, who brought cultural and technological advances with them to Japan. While archaeologists have not yet identified the tomb’s owner, one hypothesis is that it belongs to Soga no Iname, a Yamato Dynasty leader who died in 570 AD. The Miyakozuka Tomb in Asuka, Nara Prefecture, as seen from a helicopter. However, the newly-discovered step pyramid is quite different to those that have already been found. This era of Japanese history is characterised by a particular type of burial mound that was popular at the time specifically key shaped earthen mounds surrounded by moats. ![]() It has its origins in the Tumulus Period (250-552 AD), also called Kofun jidai, which means Old Mound period. The village of Asuka is also known to be an ancient land with historical interest. ![]() Experts say the structure is similar to those found in the ancient kingdom of Koguryo (3 rd century BC – 7 th century AD), which reigned over north-eastern China and the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. The pyramid-shaped tomb is buried under an earthen mound, which is up to 7 metres in height and 40 metres in length. New excavations reveal that the ancient tomb in Japan apparently had a step-pyramid shape. Based on the height of the mound, it is believed that the tomb consists of seven or eight stone layers. So far, researchers have excavated stepped layers made of stones packed with soil on three sides of the mound. ![]() Įxperts at the municipal education board and Kansai University’s Archaeological Research Institute said that the recently discovered pyramid-like burial, which has been named the Miyakozuka tomb, is a terraced pyramid made of multiple stone layers. The finding adds to the mystery in Asuka, where multiple carved granite stones in peculiar shapes are dotted across the region, including the most well-known structure - the Rock Ship of Masuda. According to a report in the Japan Times, the tomb has preliminarily been dated to the latter half of the sixth century. Several months ago, archaeologists in Japan discovered that a large mound in the village of Asuka in Nara Prefecture contains a pyramid-shaped tomb underneath. ![]()
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