The is group '' kofun''

burial mound Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

s located in the Shimoida neighborhood of the city of

Iida, Nagano is a city in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. , Iida had an estimated population of 101,536, and a population density of 154 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Iida is an , a municipality designated by the Japanese government to be a mo ...

in the Chūbu region of Japan. Thirteen tumuli have been collectively protected as a National Historic Site since 2016.

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In the Shimoina area of southern Nagano prefecture is a group of ancient burial mounds distributed on river terraces of the right bank of the

Tenryū River The is a river in central Honshū, Japan. With a length of , it is Japan's ninth longest river. Its source is Lake Suwa in the Kiso Mountains near Okaya in Nagano Prefecture. It then flows through Aichi Prefecture and western Shizuoka Prefect ...

. There were once more than 520 ''kofun'' in Iida, of which a total of 22 are collectively called the "Iida Kofun cluster". These tumuli consist of 18 keyhole-shaped () and four scallop-shaped tumuli. The presence of so many of this style of tumuli point to a very strong political and cultural connection to the ancient Yamato kingdom. The Iida tumulus group is presumed to have been built in the middle-late Kofun period in the latter half of the 5th century and the end of the 6th century. During this period, it is postulated that the Iida area was a major horse breeding base for the Yamato kingdom, and the introduction of horses led to the development of inland transportation networks and inter-regional trade, which is reflected in various aspects of each tumulus. Of the group, 11 keyhole-shaped and two scallop-shaped tumulus received National Historic Site designation in 2016. The largest of these tumuli is the , also known as the Iinuma Tenjindsuka Kofun, which is a keyhole-shaped tumulus with a total length of 74.5 meters. The

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 ...

is a lateral type stone corridor with an entrance to the west, with the total length of 13 meters. The entrance is blocked, but the back wall on the east side has been removed. The length of the chamber itself is 5.7 meters by 2.3 meters, with a height of 1.7 meters. It was opened in the Edo period, at which time

bronze mirror Bronze mirrors preceded the glass mirrors of today. This type of mirror, sometimes termed a copper mirror, has been found by archaeologists among elite assemblages from various cultures, from Etruscan Italy to Japan. Typically they are round an ...

s, beads, rings, horse harnesses, and pottery was excavated, but most of these artifacts have been lost. The neighboring Unsai-ji temple, whose main hall partially encroaches on the tumulus, has preserved a golden ring and two bells from a horse harness. The tumulus was built in the middle of the 6th century. It was designated a Nagano Prefectural Historic Site in 1965.

References

External links

Iida City official website
{{in lang, ja

which also includes kofun not belonging to the cluster on the official website of Iida City Museum (in Japanese) *Tourist guide training for th
Iida Kofun cluster
(in Japanese) *Guided tours of th
Iida Kofun cluster
(in Japanese) History of Nagano Prefecture Iida, Nagano Historic Sites of Japan Scallop Kofun Kofun clusters

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External links