The is a ''
kofun
are megalithic tombs or tumuli in Northeast Asia. ''Kofun'' were mainly constructed in the Japanese archipelago between the middle of the 3rd century to the early 7th century CE.岡田裕之「前方後円墳」『日本古代史大辞典』 ...
''
burial mound located in the Wakibukuro neighborhood of the town of
Wakasa, Fukui in the
Hokuriku region
The was located in the northwestern part of Honshu, the main island of Japan. It lay along the Sea of Japan within the Chūbu region, which it is currently a part of. It is almost equivalent to Koshi Province and Hokurikudō area in pre-modern ...
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 site was designated a
National Historic Site of Japan in 1935.
It is the largest
keyhole-shaped tumulus in the Wakasa region and was built from the end of the 4th century to the early 5th century AD.
Overview
The Jōnozuka Kofun is one of a group of seven ''kofun'' located in central Wakasa at the western foot of Mount Zenbu. It is located west of the tracks of the
JR West Obama Line railway and is in the center of the group. Together with the
Nishizuka Kofun and the
Nakatsuka Kofun
The is a ''kofun'' burial mound located in what is now part of the town of Wakasa, Fukui in the Hokuriku region of Japan. The site was designated a Monuments of Japan, National Historic Site of Japan in 1935.
Overview
The Nakatsuka Kofun is one ...
, it was known to local legend as the tomb of one of the "Kings of Wakasa". The tumulus is a , which is shaped like a keyhole, having one square end and one circular end, when viewed from above. The entire length is about 100 meters in three tiers, with the posterior circular portion having a diameter of 64 meters, and the width of the anterior rectangular portion at 48 meters with a length of 36 meters. It is orientated to the north. It has retained most of its original shape, and the existence of the former moat can be confirmed. The round portion of the tumulus has a height of six meters and was covered in ''
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 ...
''. Fragments of ''
haniwa'' of various types have been found in the surrounding fields.
Currently, the site of the moat is under
rice paddies and the tumulus is surrounded by farmland. The site was
excavated in 1992, and in 2008 by
ground-penetrating radar.The
grave goods discovered, mostly pieces of wood and metal, included items of Korean and Chinese origin, and are displayed at the Wakasa Museum of History and Culture. The name of the person interred is unknown; however from the name of the nearby hill (Zenbuyama, 膳部山), it mostly likely corresponds to the grave of a head of the Kashiwade clan (膳氏), who are recorded in the ''
Kojiki
The , also sometimes read as or , is an early Japanese chronicle of myths, legends, hymns, genealogies, oral traditions, and semi-historical accounts down to 641 concerning the origin of the Japanese archipelago, the , and the Japanese imperia ...
'' and ''
Nihon Shoki'' as having served as ''
Kuni no miyatsuko'' of
Wakasa Province since the time of the legendary
Emperor Kōgen.
The tumulus is about 30 minutes on foot from
Kaminaka Station on the
JR West Obama Line.
See also
*
List of Historic Sites of Japan (Fukui)
References
External links
Obama city home page{{in lang, ja
Zenpokoenfun
History of Fukui Prefecture
Wakasa, Fukui
Historic Sites of Japan
Wakasa Province
Kofun clusters