Mizumachi Ruins Park in Nogata city, Fukuoka prefecture is home to a big group of Kofun tombs. Over 70 tombs were built here from the middle of the 6th century to the late 7th century.
I was impressed with the size of the burial mound. The tombs are divided into 2 groups either side of the mound. These are yokoana tombs, or tunnel type.
Some of the items discovered here are Sue and Haji pottery, accessories, blades, arrow-heads, and horse tack. Rare for tunnel tombs, petroglyphs (rock art engravings) were found on the walls of some tombs.
You can’t actually enter the tombs, but you can look inside many of them through some bars. To my surprise one of them had model skull and bones inside (well, I’m pretty sure they weren’t real!) In this particular chamber, the bones of 2 adult males, 3 adult females, and 3 children were discovered.
The park is designated as historic landmark by Fukuoka prefecture and is preserved and maintained. The walls have been strengthened by fiber rods to prevent collapse.
The park is free to enter. There is a small parking lot and a public bathroom. At the entrance to the park there is a sign which lists rules and manners. Most of it is pretty obvious, like don’t go digging holes in the sides of the tombs!
Please watch my video for a better idea of what the site looks like.
Address: Mizumachiiseki Park
Kamizakai, Nogata, Fukuoka 822-0006
https://goo.gl/maps/MiYjyhc121pcWCSU7
Closest train station: Nakaizumi Station
Nakaizumi, Nogata, Fukuoka 822-0011
https://goo.gl/maps/bG7yo5bpYpWmqBpT7
The park is about a 25-30 minute walk from Nakaizumi Station.
I’ll be back there in the near future to see a couple of things I missed. If there is a particular tomb in Fukuoka prefectuyou would like me to visit and write about, let me know! Thanks for reading!
Kyushu Trail 