Between 1697 and 1885, six surveys were conducted to identify imperial tumuli: it was believed after the first survey that Taka-matsu-zuka was the tumulus of Emperor Monmu, but the 1855 investigation excluded this site from the imperial record. In 1969, part of a carved tuff was found at the southern base of Takamatsuzuka; three years later Asuka Village and the Kasiwara Archaeological Research Institute excavated the site; to protect the paintings until conservation treatments could be carried out, the tomb was resealed. By 1976, air conditioning facilities had been installed to regulate the humidity and temperature. The construction methods of the tomb are described as determined during the excavation by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, under whose auspices the protection of the tumulus was placed. -- AATA