The is an
archaeological site with the foundations of what appears to have been a
pagoda located in what is now the city of
Kiryū,
Gunma Prefecture in the northern
Kantō region
The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. In a common definition, the region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba and Kanagawa. Slight ...
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 1941.
Overview
The Takei temple ruins consists of a shaped cornerstone made of
andesite with a diameter of 107 centimeters, resting on a soil base. This foundation stone has a hole with a diameter of 42 cm and depth of 38 cm drilled in its center. Since fragments of
roof tiles from the
Nara period have been found surrounding this foundation stone, was is believed to have been the foundation of a pagoda from a now-vanished
Nara period Buddhist temple
A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in Buddhism represen ...
. However, since no other foundation stones were found in the vicinity, and as the terrain is on a slope, it gradually became accepted that this assumption was incorrect. A further
archaeological excavation
In archaeology, excavation is the exposure, processing and recording of archaeological remains. An excavation site or "dig" is the area being studied. These locations range from one to several areas at a time during a project and can be condu ...
in 1969 revealed that the base of the structure was an , measuring 7.8 meters on each side. It is now believed to have been a structure covering a grave site, as similar burial mounds have been found in the
Kinai region of Japan.
The site is located about 15 minutes on foot from
Niizato Station
is a passenger railway station located in the city of Niimi, Okayama Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by the West Japan Railway Company (JR West).
Lines
Niisato Station is served by the Hakubi Line, and is located 82.8 kilometers from the ter ...
on
Jōmō Electric Railway.
See also
*
List of Historic Sites of Japan (Gunma)
References
External links
Kiryu City official guide{{in lang, ja
Octagonal Kofun
History of Gunma Prefecture
Kiryū, Gunma
Archaeological sites in Japan
Historic Sites of Japan