Diamond Thoughts

The Enigmatic Megaliths Of Asuka
The village of Asuka is located in the Takaichi district of Nara prefecture in Japan, an ancient land with historical interests.

It is the land where ancient Asuka palaces were located, as it probably was a territory inhabited since remote times.

It has its origins in the period of the “Tumuli” (250-552 AD), also called “Kofun jidai”, which means “ancient mound period”.

This period of Japanese history is characterized by a particular type of burial mound popular at the time.

In particular, terracotta mounds in the shape of a “key” surrounded by moats.

But one of Asuka’s most unique features is the multiple granite stones carved into particular shapes in various parts of the region.

In several areas are in fact unusual and enigmatic carved granite stones, the largest of which is the one in the picture below, known as “Masuda no Iwafune”, the “Rock-Ship”.

The structure is a very large megalith approximately 11 meters in length, 8 meters in width, and 4.7 meters In height.

The upper surface has been completely flattened and there are two one-meter square holes carved into it and a ridgeline that is parallel to both holes.

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.

It is located on top of a hill just a few hundred meters west of Okadera Station.

How or why this colossal stone and others were carved remains a mystery, as they appear to have a different style than later Buddhist sculptures.

There are also several nearby kofuns or tombs including the Ishibutai Kofun which is built from massive boulders including one that weighs an estimated 75 tons.

Precisely cut and perfectly polished megalithic stones weighing dozens of tons that cannot be dated to a certain period or a specific culture are largely present in the region of Asuka, resembling the craftsmanship of similar structures that can be seen in Egypt and South America.