The is a

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 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 ...

located in the Masukawa neighborhood of the city of

Fuji, Shizuoka is a city in eastern Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 245,015 in 106,087 households, and a population density of 1,000 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Fuji is the third largest city in terms o ...

in the

Tōkai region The is a subregion of the Chūbu region and Kansai region in Japan that runs along the Pacific Ocean. The name comes from the Tōkaidō, one of the Edo Five Routes. Because Tōkai is a sub-region and is not officially classified, there is s ...

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 ...

. It was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1957.

Overview

The Sengen Kofun is located on a gently sloping area at the foot of Mount Ashitaka. It is a "two conjoined rectangle" type ''kofun'' (''zenpō-kōhō-fun'' (前方後方墳)) orientated to the southeast. Its total length is 97 meters and maximum width is 60 meters, making it the largest in eastern Shizuoka Prefecture. The tumulus was surrounded by a moat with a width of 10 to 15 meters and was once 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 ...

'', and ''

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, ...

''. The tumulus is now crowned with 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 ...

. The tumulus has never been excavated, but is assumed from its design to date to the late 4th century. Per a

Lidar Lidar (, also LIDAR, or LiDAR; sometimes LADAR) is a method for determining ranges (variable distance) by targeting an object or a surface with a laser and measuring the time for the reflected light to return to the receiver. It can also be ...

survey conducted in 2020, it was confirmed that the tumulus had two tiers in its posterior and a single tier in its anterior portion. rear and one step in the front. It became clear. A flat terrace protruding from the posterior portion, which is not visible to the naked eye was also found. The survey also reconfirmed that the height of the tumulus differs significantly between its north side (mountain side) and south side (sea side), making it clear that the tumulus is made to look larger when viewed from the sea side. The tumulus is located approximately seven minutes on foot from the

Gakunan Railway The is Japanese railway line between and , all within the industrial area of Fuji in Shizuoka Prefecture. The line does not have any official name. This is the only railway line operates. The operator company was established on April 1, 2013 a ...

Kamiya Station is a railway station in the city of Fuji, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Gakunan Railway. Lines Kamiya Station is served by the Gakunan Railway Line, and is located 8.2 kilometers from the terminal of the ...

References

External links

Fuji city home page
{{in lang, ja Kofun History of Shizuoka Prefecture Fuji, Shizuoka Historic Sites of Japan

Overview

See also

References

External links