The is a group of

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

to early

Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the capita ...

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 ...

cluster located in the Koshinohara neighborhood of the city of

Yasu, Shiga is a Cities of Japan, city located in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 50,695 in 20695 households and a population density of 630 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Yasu is located in so ...

in the

Kansai region The or the lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo and Shiga, often also Mie, sometimes Fukui, Tokushima and Tottori. The metropol ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. It was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1941, with the area under designation expanded in 1982, 1983 and 1995.

Overview

The Ōiwayama Kofun Cluster is located in a fertile alluvial plain formed by the

Yasu River The is located in Shiga Prefecture, Japan; it is the largest river to flow into Lake Biwa. Geography The Yasu river rises from Mount Gozaisho and flows through Kōka, Konan, Rittō, Moriyama and Yasu. It forked at the lower reaches and made ...

. In 1881, 14 ''

dōtaku are Japanese bells smelted from relatively thin bronze and richly decorated. ''Dōtaku'' were used for about 400 years, between the second century BCE and the second century CE (corresponding to the end of the Yayoi period), and were ...

'' were discovered on Mount Ōiwa, and ten more were found in two separate locations in 1962 during construction work on the tracks of the

Tōkaidō Shinkansen The is a Japanese high-speed rail line that is part of the nationwide Shinkansen network. Along with the San'yō Shinkansen, it forms a continuous high-speed railway through the Taiheiyō Belt, also known as the Tokaido corridor. Opening in 19 ...

. This was one of the largest concentrations of ''dōtaku'' which has been discovered, and to commemorate this find, Yasu city constructed the to display these artifacts, as well as others which have been found in other locations. These artifacts date from the late

Yayoi period The Yayoi period (弥生時代, ''Yayoi jidai'') (c. 300 BC – 300 AD) is one of the major historical periods of the Japanese archipelago. It is generally defined as the era between the beginning of food production in Japan and the emergence o ...

and the fact that they were buried intentionally was interpreted to be an indication of the unsettled political condition during the transition between the Yayoi and Kofun periods. The very large concentration was also interpreted to indicate that a large regional tribe or clan lived in this area, and this theory was supported by a large concentration of

burial mounds A tumulus (: tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, mounds, howes, or in Siberia and Central Asia as ''kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. ...

in the flatlands surrounding Mount Ōiwa. The Ōiwayama Kofun Cluster consists 17 confirmed tumuli, from the latter half of the 3rd century to the 6th century AD, or spanning the end of the Yayoi to the end of the Kofun period. Of these tumuli, the , a "two conjoined rectangles" type () and , a () which has the largest stone burial chamber in Shiga Prefecture, were designated as National Historic Sites in 1941. The , another ' was discovered in 1982 and added to the National Historic Site designation the same year. In 1985, six previously unknown tumuli were discovered and were also added to the area under protection, which then received the collective name of "Ōiwayama Kofun Cluster". The borders of the area under protection were adjusted in 1995. The site is now part of the Sakuraba-sama Historical Park, and is a short walk from the "Dotaku Museum Mae" bus stop on the Omi Railway bus from Yasu Station on the

JR West , also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, ...

Tōkaidō Main Line The Tōkaidō Main Line () is one of the most important railway corridors in Japan, connecting the major cities of Tokyo and Kobe via Shizuoka (city), Shizuoka, Nagoya, Kyoto and Osaka. The line, with termini at Tokyo Station, Tokyo and Kōbe St ...

. Artifacts uncovered during

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 ...

s have included

bronze mirror Bronze mirrors preceded the glass mirrors of today. This type of mirror, sometimes termed a copper mirror, has been found by archaeologists among elite assemblages from various cultures, from Etruscan Italy to Japan. Typically they are round a ...

s, earthenware, ''

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 ...

'' and

Sue ware was a blue-gray form of stoneware pottery fired at high temperature, which was produced in Japan and southern Korea during the Kofun, Nara, and Heian periods of Japanese history. It was initially used for funerary and ritual objects, and orig ...

pottery. , , ''enpun'', , dia 28 meters, , early 6th century , , , - , Kabutoyama Kofun, , , , ''enpun'', , dia 30 meters, , mid 6th century , , , - , Miyayama No. 2 Kofun, , , , ''enpun'', , dia 15 meters , , late 6th century , ,

Gallery

Sakurabasama Historic Park 20210307 01.jpg, Sakurabasama Historic Park Kabutoyama Kofun (Yasu), genshitsu.jpg, Kabutoyama Kofun sarcophagus Ōiwayama Kofun Group Kamezuka Kofun 20210307 03.jpg, Kamezuka Kofun Maruyama Kofun (Yasu), entrance.jpg, Maruyama Kofun Miyayama Kofun Group (Yasu)-2, funkyu-1.jpg, Miyayama Kofun Otsukayama Kofun (Yasu), zenpoubu.jpg, Otsukayama Kofun Ten-no-yama Kofun, kouenbu.jpg, Tennoyama Kofun Ōiwayama Kofun Group Toba Kofun 20210307 05.jpg, Toba Kofun

References

External links

Shiga Prefecture Department of Education
{{in lang, ja History of Shiga Prefecture Yasu, Shiga Historic Sites of Japan Kofun clusters Scallop Kofun

Overview

Gallery

See also

References

External links