The is a large
Kofun period
The is an era in the history of Japan from about 300 to 538 AD (the date of the introduction of Buddhism), following the Yayoi period. The Kofun and the subsequent Asuka periods are sometimes collectively called the Yamato period. This period is ...
burial mound located in the Kitanemoto neighborhood of the city of
Ishioka, Ibaraki in the northern
Kantō region
The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. In a common definition, the region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba and Kanagawa. Slight ...
of
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
. The tumulus was designated a
National Historic Site in 1921.
It is the largest in Ibaraki Prefecture and the second largest in the Kantō region after the
Ōta Tenjinyama Kofun in
Ōta, Gunma.
Overview
The Funazukayama ''Kofun'' is located on the edge of a plateau on the northern coast of
Lake Kasumigaura. It has a total length of 186 meters and is orientated to the west. The tumulus was constructed in three tiers, with rows of cylindrical ''
haniwa
The are terracotta clay figures that were made for ritual use and buried with the dead as funerary objects during the Kofun period (3rd to 6th centuries AD) of the history of Japan. ''Haniwa'' were created according to the ''wazumi'' technique, ...
'', but neither figurative ''haniwa'' nor ''
fukiishi
( or "roofing stone") were a means of covering burial chambers and burial mounds during the kofun period of Japan (). Stones collected from riverbeds were affixed to the slopes of raised kofun and other burial chambers. They are considered t ...
'' have not been discovered. It was surrounded by a shield-shaped moat on all sides except the south, which give the tumulus a total length of 260 meters if the moats are considered as part of the length. It is part of a cluster of smaller tumuli in area, and is estimated to have been built around the latter half of the 5th century, or the middle of the Kofun period.
As the surrounding area is also the location of the
provincial capital of
Hitachi Province during the
Nara period
The of the history of Japan covers the years from CE 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the cap ...
, it is speculated that this ''kofun'' may have been the grave of the local ''
Kuni no miyatsuko'' or local king during the earlier Kofun period.
The tumulus has undergone some changes in its configuration due to the encroachment of a
Shinto shrine
A is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more ''kami'', the deities of the Shinto religion.
Overview
Structurally, a Shinto shrine typically comprises several buildings.
The '' honden''Also called (本殿, meani ...
on its grounds, and the mining of the tumulus for soil by local farmers; and it is possible that it was robbed in premodern times, as local legends state that many swords have been uncovered in the area. The tumulus was surveyed by
Meiji University
, abbreviated as Meiji (明治) or Meidai (明大'')'', is a private research university located in Chiyoda City, the heart of Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1881 as Meiji Law School (明治法律学校, ''Meiji Hōritsu Gakkō'') by three Meiji-er ...
in 1963. In 1972, an
archaeological excavation
In archaeology, excavation is the exposure, processing and recording of archaeological remains. An excavation site or "dig" is the area being studied. These locations range from one to several areas at a time during a project and can be condu ...
found a number of
grave goods, including a straight iron sword and shield, but no
burial chamber
A chamber tomb is a tomb for burial used in many different cultures. In the case of individual burials, the chamber is thought to signify a higher status for the interred than a simple grave. Built from rock or sometimes wood, the chambers could a ...
was discovered. It was re-examined from 2011 to 2013 with
ground-penetrating radar.
The tumulus is located a ten-minute walk from
Takahama Station on the
JR East
The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and is the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are ...
Jōban Line
The Jōban Line ( ja, 常磐線, ) is a railway line in Japan operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The line officially begins at Nippori Station in Arakawa, Tokyo before the line officially ends at Iwanuma Station in Iwanuma, ...
.
;Total length: 186 meters
;Anterior rectangular portion: 99 meters wide x 10 meters high
;Posterior circular portion: 90 meter diameter x 11 meters high
File:Funatsukayama Kofun, kouenbu-1.jpg, Overview
File:Funatsukayama Kofun, kouenbu-2.jpg, For anterior towards posterior
File:Funatsukayama Kofun, zenpoubu.jpg, From posterior towards anterior
File:Funatsukayama-kofun kouenbu.JPG, Posterior circula portion
See also
*
List of Historic Sites of Japan (Ibaraki)
This list is of the Monuments of Japan, Historic Sites of Japan located within Ibaraki Prefecture.
National Historic Sites
As of January 1, 2021, thirty-three Sites have been Cultural Properties of Japan, designated as being of national Values ...
References
External links
Ibaraki Prefecture Board of Education site{{in lang, ja
Kofun
History of Ibaraki Prefecture
Ishioka, Ibaraki
Historic Sites of Japan