The is a group of

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 mounds located in the Takarazuka neighborhood of the city of Matsusaka,

Mie Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Mie Prefecture has a population of 1,781,948 () and has a geographic area of . Mie Prefecture is bordered by Gifu Prefecture to the north, Shiga Prefecture and Kyoto Prefecture to ...

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 ...

. It was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1932.

Overview

The Takarazuka Kofun are located on low hills on the right bank of the Sakanai River, approximately three kilometers to the south of the center of the city of Matsusaka. The site was first excavated in 1928 by a team from

Mie University Mie University (三重大学; ''Mie Daigaku'', abbreviated to 三重大 ''Miedai'') is a national university in Tsu, Mie Prefecture, Japan. As with other national universities, Mie University has been a National University Corporation since Apr ...

under the direction of Dr Toshio Sato, and was found to be part of a larger cluster of at least 88 ''kofun'', of which 26 were relatively intact. The site was named the and was proclaimed a National Historic Site in 1932. However, by 1965 encroaching urban development had destroyed 81 of the ''kofun'', and a movement was begun to preserve the remaining seven. However, in the twenty years it took to obtain official injunctions against further destruction and urban development, another three of the remaining ''kofun'' were destroyed. Despite the area official protection being extended in 1978, a road was built directly through the site in the 1980s, destroying another two of the remaining four ''kofun'', and physically separating the remaining pair. The two surviving tumuli were excavated from 1998 to 2003 by the Matsusaka City Board of Education. Since 2005, the tumuli have been part of the

Takarazuka Kofun No.1

The Takarazuka Kofun No.1 is a , which is shaped like a keyhole, having one square end and one circular end, when viewed from above, with a total length of , orientated to the east. It is the largest found in

Ise Province was a province of Japan in the area of Japan that is today includes most of modern Mie Prefecture. Ise bordered on Iga, Kii, Mino, Ōmi, Owari, Shima, and Yamato Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was . History The name of Ise appears i ...

and the 4th largest in Mie Prefecture. It is estimated to have been built in the middle of the Kofun period in the early 5th century AD. Both ''

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, ...

'' have been found in profusion on the tumulus. The tumulus has a small rectangular stage extending from one side, presumably for ceremonial purposes. When it was re-evcavated by the Mie Prefectural Board of Education from 1999 to 2000, and numerous ''haniwa'' and other funerary objects were uncovered. These, as well as the artifacts uncovered in the 1928 excavations, are preserved at the Matsusaka City Cultural Center. Of especial note is a large boat-shaped ''haniwa'', as well as ''haniwa'' in the shapes of single and multistory houses, and of men in armor. In 2006, these artifacts were collectively designated an National Important Cultural Property. The details of 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 a ...

, as the interior of the tumulus has not been excavated.

Ground penetrating radar Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) is a Geophysics, geophysical method that uses radar pulses to Geophysical imaging, image the subsurface. It is a non-intrusive method of surveying the sub-surface to investigate underground utilities such as concrete, ...

surveys indicate that a chamber with a length of approximately seven meters in a north–south alignment exists about 1.2 meters below the surface of the posterior circular portion; however, as the boat-shaped ''haniwa'' was found on the anterior portion of the tumulus, it is most probable that the tumulus contains multiple burial chambers in both sections. The boat-shaped ''haniwa'' was found in a niche created by breaking the ''

'' covering of the tumulus, indicating that it was placed at some point after the tumulus had been completed. The tomb is attributed in local folklore to , the deified progenitor of the local Itaka clan. ;Overall length: 111 meters ;Posterior circular portion: 75 meter diameter x 10 meters high x 3 tiers ;Anterior rectangular portion: 66 meters wide x 8.1 meters high x 3 tiers

Takarazuka Kofun No.2

Slightly smaller than The Takarazuka Kofun No.1, this tomb is a , which is shaped like a

scallop Scallop () is a common name that encompasses various species of marine bivalve mollusks in the taxonomic family Pectinidae, the scallops. However, the common name "scallop" is also sometimes applied to species in other closely related families ...

shell when viewed from above. It has an overall length of 90 meters and is orientated to the south-southwest. The posterior circular portion is constructed in three tiers, and the anterior rectangular portion in two-tiers; however, the eastern corner has been partially destroyed due to road construction, despite its official protected status. As with Kofun No.1, ''fukiishi'' and numerous ''haniwa'' have been uncovered. The details of burial chamber are unknown, as the tumulus has not yet been excavated, but from the structure and ''haniwa'', it is estimated to date from the early 5th century AD. ;Overall length: 90 meters ;Posterior circular portion: 83 meter diameter x 10.5 meters high x 3 tiers ;Anterior rectangular portion: 40 meters wide x 17 meters long x 2.9 meters high x 2 tiers Comparing the two tumuli, although the ''hotategaigata-kofun'' is usually considered inferior to the ''zenpō-kōen-fun'' in terms of status, the Takarazuka Kofun No.2 is larger than Takarazuka Kofun No.1, in terms of the diameter and height of the posterior circular portion, despite its shorter length.

Gallery

File:Takarazuka Kofun (Matsusaka)-1, kouenbu.jpg, Takarazuka Kofun No.1 File:Takaraduka-2go-fun 01.JPG, Takarazuka Kofun No.2 File:宝塚1号墳出土家形埴輪-1.JPG, House-shaped ''haniwa'' File:宝塚1号墳出土円筒埴輪.JPG, Cylindrical ''haniwa'' File:宝塚1号墳出土盾形埴輪 (主墳丘出土).JPG, Shield-shaped ''haniwa''

References

External links