Hakuchōryō Tomb (Hakuchō-ryō Kofun) 白鳥陵古墳

Official explanation

Hakuchōryō literally means “mausoleum of the white bird,” a reference to the legendary folk hero Yamato Takeru. According to both the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, eighth-century texts chronicling early Japanese history and mythology, Yamato Takeru was a prince in the line of emperors who expanded the territory of the Yamato clan.

He is said to have been fatally wounded when he fought a mountain god barehanded. After winning the battle, he set out for home, but died on the way in Nobono in Mie Prefecture. According to legend, a large white bird (commonly depicted as a swan) was seen flying away from his remains. His companions followed the bird, thinking it was Takeru’s soul manifested as a bird. Reportedly the bird landed here, and Takeru’s followers built the kofun burial mound as his eternal resting place. The Imperial Household Agency manages the tomb and has declared this kofun to be the tomb of Yamato Takeru based on this story. Some evidence indicates that this tomb was built in the late fifth century, suggesting that the Takeru connection may be primarily legendary.

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The kofun covers an area of about 5.7 hectares but is only 3 meters high at its highest point. It is surrounded by a large moat that attracts local waterfowl. A remaining stretch of the Takenouchi Kaido, the oldest recorded road in Japan, runs along the northern side.

出典: 地域観光資源の多言語解説文データベース（観光庁） — www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db. この英語解説文は観光庁の地域観光資源の多言語解説整備支援事業で作成しました。
Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Multilingual Explanation Database. This English text was produced by the Japan Tourism Agency's multilingual explanation project and is shown unedited. Opening hours and services may have changed since it was written.