270px, Aerial photograph
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, located in the Tangochomiya neighborhood of the city of
Kyōtango, Kyoto in the
Kansai region 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 of Japan in 1923.
Overview
The Shinmeiyama Kofun is a , which is shaped like a keyhole, having one square end and one circular end, when viewed from above. It is located at the mouth of the Takeno River, in the center of the west coast of the
Tango Peninsula
was a province of Japan in the area of northern Kyoto Prefecture. Tango bordered on Tanba to the south, Tajima to the west, and Wakasa to the east. Its abbreviated form name was . It was also referred to as or . In terms of the Gokishichi ...
overlooking the
Sea of Japan. It dates from the middle of the Kofun period, or the end of the 4th century to the beginning of the 5th century. The tumulus was constructed by cutting away the tip of a hill, and is orientated to the northeast. It was surveyed by
Doshisha University fringe 1964 to 1967, but no
excavation
Excavation may refer to:
* Excavation (archaeology)
* Excavation (medicine)
* ''Excavation'' (The Haxan Cloak album), 2013
* ''Excavation'' (Ben Monder album), 2000
* ''Excavation'' (novel), a 2000 novel by James Rollins
* '' Excavation: A Memo ...
has been conducted. The tumulus has a length 190 meters, making it one of the largest on the Sea of Japan coast. The surface of the mound was covered in white ''
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 both cylindrical and figurative ''
haniwa'' have been found. Among the ''haniwa'', fragments of a type specific to the
Tango region have been found, including one with a line engraving of a person rowing a boat. The details of the
burial chamber are not clear, but it is presumed to be a pit-type stone chamber based on the stone slabs that were scattered in the center of the posterior circular portion of the mound. During the Kofun period, this region of northern Kyoto prefecture had trade contacts with the Asian mainland, and the area around the mouth of the Takeno River was the center of an ancient kingdom. The tumulus was situated such that its white ''fukiishi'' would be visible as a landmark for any ships approaching the harbor. However, after the middle of the 5th century, trade decreased and the political center of the region shifted inland to the
Tamba region.
During the late
Heian period, a
sutra mound
A is an archaeological site where sūtras were buried underground. In Japanese Buddhism, it is a type of good deed, and was done as a type of puja.
Description
In the Nara period, the practice of copying sutras was the center of Buddhism in ...
was established on the summit of this tumulus. Artifacts recovered from this sutra mound, including sutra containers and two
bronze mirrors are designated Tangible Cultural Properties of Kyōtango City.
;Total length: 190 meters:
;Anterior rectangular portion: 78 meters wide x 15 meters high, 3-tier
;Posterior circular portion: 129 meter diameter x 26 meters high, 3-tiers
Gallery
神明山古墳.jpg, Posterior Circular Portion of the tumulus
神明山古墳出土 舟と人物の線刻のある埴輪.JPG, Fragment of ''haniwa'' with engraving of man on a boat
神明山経塚出土 銅製経筒.JPG, Artifacts recovered from sutra mound
See also
*
List of Historic Sites of Japan (Kyoto)
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
References
External links
Kyōtango Tourist Information home page{{in lang, ja
History of Kyoto Prefecture
Kyōtango
Historic Sites of Japan
Zenpokoenfun
