is a stone ''

kofun are megalithic tombs or tumuli in Northeast Asia. ''Kofun'' were mainly constructed in the Japanese archipelago between the middle of the 3rd century to the early 7th century CE.岡田裕之「前方後円墳」『日本古代史大辞典』� ...

'' or

tumulus A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds or ''kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. A cairn, which is a mound of stones buil ...

of the

Asuka period The was a period in the history of Japan lasting from 538 to 710 (or 592 to 645), although its beginning could be said to overlap with the preceding Kofun period. The Yamato polity evolved greatly during the Asuka period, which is named after t ...

in the east of Shimanoshō,

Asuka Asuka may refer to: People * Asuka (name), a list of people * Asuka (wrestler), professional wrestler * Asuka (wrestler, born 1998), professional wrestler also known as Veny outside of Japan Places In Japan * , an area in Yamato Province (now ...

Nara Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Nara Prefecture has a population of 1,321,805 and has a geographic area of . Nara Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Osaka Prefecture to the northwest, Wakayama P ...

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 kofun is believed to be the tomb of

Soga no Umako was the son of Soga no Iname and a member of the powerful Soga clan of Japan. Umako conducted political reforms with Prince Shōtoku during the rules of Emperor Bidatsu and Empress Suiko and established the Soga clan's stronghold in the govern ...

. It occupies an area of , and is the largest known megalithic structure in Japan. The kofun is also known as the Kofun.

Name

The name of the ''kofun'' in Japanese is a combination of two words, the first, , meaning "

stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

", and the second, , meaning "

stage Stage or stages may refer to: Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper * Sta ...

". The name of the ''kofun'' therefore originates in its resemblance to a large stone stage. The Ishibutai ''kofun'' has been known by this name at least as early as the

Tokugawa period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional ''daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characterize ...

, as evidenced by its entry in the ''Saigoku sanjūsansho meisho zue'', a large guide to Buddhist pilgrimage sites written by Kanenari Akatsuki in 1853.

Association with Soga no Umako

The Ishibutai Kofun is inferred to be the tomb of

(559? - 626), and his death during the reign of

Empress Suiko (554 – 15 April 628) was the 33rd monarch of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 推古天皇 (33)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Suiko reigned from 593 until her death in 628. In the history of Japan ...

is recorded in the '' Nihon Shoki''. :Summer, 5th month, 20th day. The Oho-omi died. He was buried in the tomb at Momohama. The historian and archeologist Sadakichi Kita (1871 - 1939) proposed that the Ishibutai Kofun is the above-mentioned "Momohana" tomb in the ''Nihon Shoki''. Kita also proposed that the earthen mound of the Ishibutai Kofun was removed after Soga no Umako's death as a punishment of the Soga clan by the imperial government.

Structure

The Ishibutai Kofun was built on a

spur A spur is a metal tool designed to be worn in pairs on the heels of riding boots for the purpose of directing a horse or other animal to move forward or laterally while riding. It is usually used to refine the riding aids (commands) and to back ...

of a mountain that falls northeast to a small

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ha ...

. It consists of a platform, a

gallery Gallery or The Gallery may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Art gallery ** Contemporary art gallery Music * Gallery (band), an American soft rock band of the 1970s Albums * ''Gallery'' (Elaiza album), 2014 album * ''Gallery'' (Gr ...

entryway, stone walls that form a tomb, two large stones that form a ceiling for the tomb, and

embankment Embankment may refer to: Geology and geography * A levee, an artificial bank raised above the immediately surrounding land to redirect or prevent flooding by a river, lake or sea * Embankment (earthworks), a raised bank to carry a road, railwa ...

s on either side of the tomb. In total 30 stones were used to construct the Ishibutai Kofun. The large granite megaliths come from Mount Tōnomine, which is approximately from the site.

Platform and moat

The Ishibutai ''kofun'' originally occupied a much larger area than is evidenced by the existing stone tumulus. It was built on a square platform, which measured on each side at the time of construction. Archeological excavations have revealed that the ''kofun'' was surrounded by a

moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...

, a feature typical of other ''kofun'' of the period. This moat is estimated to be wide. In total the ''kofun'', platform, and moat probably covered an area long.

Approach

''Kofun'' typically had a stone approach to the entrance path of the tomb. The Ishibutai has a particularly long entrance path, which measures . A shallow drainage channel long and wide runs the length of the entrance path. This entrance was originally covered like the tomb, but its stone ceiling no longer exists.

Tomb

The Ishibutai ''kofun'' is a

corridor Corridor or The Corridor may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''The Corridor'' (1968 film), a 1968 Swedish drama film * ''The Corridor'' (1995 film), a 1995 Lithuanian drama film * ''The Corridor'' (2010 film), a 2010 Canadia ...

-type tomb. The inner chamber is long, wide, and high. It consists of 30 stones, by and . Small

drainage Drainage is the natural or artificial removal of a surface's water and sub-surface water from an area with excess of water. The internal drainage of most agricultural soils is good enough to prevent severe waterlogging (anaerobic conditio ...

channels run along the east, north, and west of the tomb. These were constructed to drain water collects on the north side of the tomb to feed south into the shallow drainage channel in the kofun entry.

Ceiling

The Ishibutai ''kofun'' is especially noted for the megaliths that form the ceiling of the tomb. The ceiling of the tomb is formed by two megaliths, one to the north and one to the south. The megalith at the north of the tomb weighs approximately , and the larger stone to the south weighs approximately .

Mound

The Ishibutai ''kofun'' was originally a large, flat type ''kofun''; the existing stone structure was covered at the time of construction by a broad, flat earthen mound. This mound eroded slowly after the construction of the kofun, thus exposing the large megaliths of the tomb roof.

Excavation

The Ishibutai Kofun was first excavated by the archaeologist and academic

Kōsaku Hamada , also known as Seiryō Hamada, was a Japanese people, Japanese academic, archaeologist, author and Kyoto University, President of Kyoto University.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Hamada Kōsaku''" in ; n.b., Louis-Frédéric is pseudonym of ...

(1881－1938). Imperial kofun have not been readily excavated in Japan. Due to its association with Soga no Umako, the Ishibutai tumulus does not have an imperial designation, and has thus seen extensive excavation. The kofun was first excavated in 1933, work on the base and moat began in 1935, and excavation of the tomb continued until 1975. The Ishibutai Kofun excavation yielded no significant finds. Funerary objects were probably lost to

grave robbery Grave robbery, tomb robbing, or tomb raiding is the act of uncovering a grave, tomb or crypt to steal commodities. It is usually perpetrated to take and profit from valuable artefacts or personal property. A related act is body snatching, a term ...

quite soon after its construction. Stone shards to the southeast of the tomb are the remains of a

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 ...

sarcophagus A sarcophagus (plural sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a box-like funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek ...

. Numerous examples of gilt and

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

implements, as well as

earthenware Earthenware is glazed or unglazed nonvitreous pottery that has normally been fired below . Basic earthenware, often called terracotta, absorbs liquids such as water. However, earthenware can be made impervious to liquids by coating it with a ce ...

shards were found in the banks of the tomb approach. The excavation also revealed that other similar flat stone kofun were built to the north and south of the existing structure. The Ishibutai Kofun was designated a historical remain in 1935. In 1954 the kofun was fully designated as a , one of only 75 sites in Japan with this designation. As excavation of the Ishibutai Kofun continued after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, significant reconstruction of areas around the kofun were carried out. The kofun and its surrounding area is part of the Asuka Historical National Government Park.

Transportation

The Ishibutai Kofun is accessible from

Asuka Station is a railway station located in Asuka, Takaichi, Nara, Japan, on the Kintetsu Railway Yoshino Line. Lines * Kintetsu Railway ** Yoshino Line Platforms and tracks Surroundings * *Takamatsuzuka Tomb *Ishibutai Kofun *Oni no Manaita, On ...

, which is served by the

Kintetsu ''Kintetsu'' is the abbreviation of , or Kintetsu Railway, a Japanese railway corporation. It may also refer to: Companies * Kintetsu Group Holdings, the holding corporation of the Kintetsu Railway ** Kintetsu Bus, a bus company and a subsidiary ...

Yoshino Line The is a railway line in Nara Prefecture, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Kintetsu Railway. It connects in Kashihara and in Yoshino. All Express and Limited Express trains continue to and from Ōsaka Abenobashi Station on the Mi ...

. The "Kame Bus" (Tortoise Bus), also called the Asuka Tour Bus/Asuka Circle Route Bus, serves all locations within the Asuka Historical National Government Park, and leaves hourly from Asuka Station.

Bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. Bic ...

rentals are also available at numerous points around the station, and cost approximately 1000 yen a day.Movement around the Asuka Area
/ref>

Gallery

File:IshibutaiBlueStairsScan3.jpg, Stairs to Ishibutai Kofun File:Ishibutai illuminated.jpg, Ishibutai Kofun illuminated in autumn File:Ishibutai-kofun Asuka Nara pref08s4592.jpg, Ceiling of Ishibutai Kofun File:Ishibutai-kofun Asuka Nara pref09n4592.jpg, Park surrounding Ishibutai Kofun

External links

Kofun

��

References

{{Commons category, Ishibutai Kofun Kofun Tourist attractions in Nara Prefecture Special Historic Sites Buildings and structures in Nara Prefecture History of Nara Prefecture