Ishibutai Tomb

Ancient tomb built of large stones

3.2 (61)

#3 of 14 most visited in Asuka and Sakurai

The Ishibutai Tomb and the town of Asuka

The Ishibutai Tomb (石舞台) is the most impressive of the ancient stone monuments in Asuka. It is believed to be the burial tomb for Soga Umako, a powerful leader of the Soga clan that ruled the country for most of the Asuka Period (538-710), while the emperor had become to play a mostly symbolic role.

About 30 massive rocks make up the inner chamber of the tomb that was originally covered by an earthen mound. The largest is part of the ceiling and weighs about 75 tons. Visitors can walk into the chamber and look at the massive rocks from the inside. The Ishibutai Tomb is located within a small park and surrounded by a dry moat.

The Ishibutai Tomb is located beside the Ishibutai bus stop, which can be reached on the Kame Loop Bus from Asuka Station (17 minutes, 280 yen, one bus per hour). The tomb can also be reached by rental bicycle in about a 15 minutes from Asuka Station.

How to get to and around Asuka