270px, Signpost at Torazuka Kofun showing interior 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 what is now the Nakane neighborhood of city of

Hitachinaka file:Hitachinaka Town Hall2.JPG, 250px, Hitachinaka city hall is a Cities of Japan, city located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 154,663 in 64,900 households and a population density of 1547 persons per km2 ...

Ibaraki Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Ibaraki Prefecture has a population of 2,871,199 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Ibaraki Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to the north, ...

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 ...

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 received protection as a National Historic Site in 1974.

Overview

The Torazuka Kofun is located in a forested plateau at an elevation of about 20 meters, where several other ''kofun'' tumuli have been found. It was excavated by

Meiji University , abbreviated as Meiji (明治) or Meidai (明大'')'', is a private research university located in Chiyoda City, the heart of Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1881 as Meiji Law School (明治法律学校, ''Meiji Hōritsu Gakkō'') by three Meiji-er ...

in 1973, and was found to be a rare example of a

decorated kofun is the term used for kofun or ancient Japanese tombs ornamented with Japanese painting, painted or Japanese sculpture, carved decoration. The tombs take the form of tumuli or earthen mounds piled over stone chambers as well as caves excavated from ...

. The tumulus is a medium-sized , which is shaped like a keyhole, having one square end and one circular end, when viewed from above, with a total length of 56.5 meters. The tumulus was once surrounded by a moat. Internally, the tumulus has a stone

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 ...

made from large blocks of

tuff Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption. Following ejection and deposition, the ash is lithified into a solid rock. Rock that contains greater than 75% ash is considered tuff, while rock cont ...

that opens to the south side of the posterior circular portion, and which was found to be intact from ancient times. The chamber has a length of 2.8 meters, width of 1.8 meters, height of 1.4 meters. Within was the skeletal remains of one adult male.

Grave goods Grave goods, in archaeology and anthropology, are the items buried along with the body. They are usually personal possessions, supplies to smooth the deceased's journey into the afterlife or offerings to the gods. Grave goods may be classed as a ...

included a lacquered small iron sword, iron spears, fragments of armor and horse harnesses, iron stirrups, and other items. Of great interest was the fact that the walls, floor and ceiling of the burial chamber had been painted and decorated. The floor and ceiling were vermillion, whereas the walls were coating in a white clay and covered with geometric patterns in vermillion. These drawings included concentric circles, hourglass-shaped designed and a serrated border at the ceiling. The opening of the burial chamber was the first time in Japan that a scientific survey (for temperature and humidity, microorganisms, etc.) had been conducted prior to the opening of the intact stone chamber. The construction of the tumulus is estimated to be in the first half of the 7th century. The tumulus is open to the public for a couple of days each year in the spring March–April and autumn November. It is located about 15 minutes by car from

Katsuta Station is a junction passenger railway station inn the city of Hitachinaka, Ibaraki, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and the third-sector railway operator Hitachinaka Seaside Railway. Lines Katsuta Station is served by the J ...

on the

JR East The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and is the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are ...

Jōban Line The Jōban Line ( ja, 常磐線, ) is a railway line in Japan operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The line officially begins at Nippori Station in Arakawa, Tokyo before the line officially ends at Iwanuma Station in Iwanuma, ...

. Or about five minutes by car from

Nakane Station is a passenger railway station on the Minato Line in the city of Hitachinaka, Ibaraki, Japan, operated by the third-sector railway operator Hitachinaka Seaside Railway. Lines Nakane Station is served by the single-track Hitachinaka Seaside Ra ...

on the

Minato Line The is a 14.3 km Japanese railway line operated by the third-sector railway operator between and , all within Hitachinaka, Ibaraki. It is the only railway line operated by the Hitachinaka Seaside Railway. The line was formerly operated by ...

. ;Total length: 56.5 meters: ;Anterior rectangular portion: 38.5 meters wide x 7.2 meters high ;Posterior circular portion: 32.5 meter diameter x 7.5 meters

References

External links

Ibaraki Tourist Information

{{Authority control Zenpokoenfun History of Ibaraki Prefecture Hitachinaka, Ibaraki Historic Sites of Japan Hitachi Province

Overview

See also

References

External links