Ishibutai Tumulus
A giant dolmen
While the prefecture of Nara in Japan is home to some of the most famous temples to be found, there are a number of ancient megalithic sites as well. While some of them are single carved stones, this site named Ishibutai Tumulus is a kind of dolmen. Differing from standing stones like Stonehenge, this structure is a collection of stones on a hill or mound, most likely a burial mound. So it is built into the hill as opposed to free standing stones.
Ishibutai Tumulus is in the countryside near a small community. The area has a small parking lot and a modest fee for entering. I was amazed at the large scale of it. After walking around the perimeter, we walked down inside of it, a dark room with a little filtered light coming thru the spaces between the capstones. This is one of Japan’s most famous burial mounds, which is called a kofun. It was originally covered, but now shows the exposed stones used to build it.
It is known for its advanced architectural sophistication and the engineering skills involved, dating back to 592-710 AD. While being a popular site, there were very few visitors on the day we were there
I drew these using pen and ink, pencil, and watercolor washes.
SketchTravel
