270px, Panoramic view 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 Misu neighborhood of Sōja,

Okayama Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Okayama Prefecture has a population of 1,906,464 (1 February 2018) and has a geographic area of 7,114 Square kilometre, km2 (2,746 sq mi). Okayama Prefectur ...

, in the San'yō 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 1921. It is the second largest tumulus in Okayama Prefecture and the tenth largest in Japan, and is estimated to have been built in the middle of the 5th century (in the middle of the Kofun period).

Overview

The Tsukuriyama Kofun is a , which is shaped like a keyhole when viewed from above, orientated to the southwest. The tumulus was constructed in three tiers and has a total length of 282 meters. The outer surface has ''

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 ...

'' of

breccia Breccia () is a rock composed of large angular broken fragments of minerals or rocks cemented together by a fine-grained matrix. The word has its origins in the Italian language, in which it means "rubble". A breccia may have a variety of di ...

and rows of ''

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, ...

''. No trace of a surrounding moat has been found. The tumulus has never been excavated, so 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 ...

are unknown; however, it is presumed to be intact, since no indication of robbery pits have been found. Most of the items unearthed from the Tsukuriyama Kofun are cylindrical and morning glory-shaped ''haniwa'', and the total number is estimated to be as many as 5000. It is estimated that these were made in the second quarter of the 5th century. The ancient

San'yōdō is a Japanese geographical term. It means both an ancient division of the country and the main road running through it. The San'yōdō corresponds for the most part with the modern conception of the San'yō region. This name derives from the id ...

highway passes through on south side of the tumulus, and it is speculated that the site was selected to show off the power of the ancient Kingdom of Kibi. The Tsukuriyama Kofun has a number of unusual aspects to its design. The mound incorporated a natural hill, some portions of which remain intact, especially towards the anterior portion. There is also a trapezoidal protrusion at the front edge of the anterior part. The circular posterior mound is oval instead of circular, perhaps to make it look larger. The northern part of the tumulus remains in good condition, but the southern part has undergone major alterations due to the construction of private houses and roads. The Tsukuriyama Kofun is cleared of undergrowth in December, so the shape of the burial mound can be clearly seen around this time. ;Total length: 282 meters: ;Anterior rectangular portion: 170 meters wide x 23 meters high, 3-tier ;Posterior circular portion: 175 x 160 meters diameter x 24 meters high, 3-tiers

References

External links

Soja City home page
{in lang, ja History of Okayama Prefecture Sōja, Okayama Historic Sites of Japan Zenpokoenfun

Overview

See also

References

External links