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 the Akibadai neighborhood of Ōtsu, Shiga 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 ...

. The tumulus was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1921. With a total length of 122 meters, it is the third largest ''kofun'' in Shiga Prefecture.

Overview

The Chausuyama Kofun is located on a hill on the southern shore of

Lake Biwa is the largest freshwater lake in Japan. It is located entirely within Shiga Prefecture (west-central Honshu), northeast of the former capital city of Kyoto. Lake Biwa is an ancient lake, over 4 million years old. It is estimated to be the 13 ...

. It is a , which is shaped like a keyhole, having one square end and one circular end, when viewed from above, orientated to the east. It was originally covered in ''

fukiishi ( or "roofing stone") were a means of covering burial chambers and Tumulus, 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 consi ...

'' and the shards of cylindrical and figurative ''

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 ...

'' have been found in the area. The location and construction 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 ...

remains unknown as it has never been excavated. From its construction technique and ''haniwa'', the tumulus is estimated to have been built from the end of the 4th century to the beginning of the 5th century AD, or the middle of the Kofun period. It is the largest of a cluster of tumuli in the surrounding area, including the , an 18-meter diameter () which is included in the National Historic Site designation. There is a long tradition connecting this ''kofun'' to the family of Prince Ōtomo (c.648 - 672 AD), the son of

Emperor Tenji , known first as and later as until his accession, was the 38th emperor of Japan who reigned from 668 to 671. He was the son of Emperor Jomei and Empress Kōgyoku (Empress Saimei), and his children included Empress Jitō, Empress Genmei, an ...

, who committed suicide after his defeat by his uncle

Prince Ōama was the 40th Emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 天武天皇 (40) retrieved 2013-8-22. according to the traditional order of succession. Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan'', p. 53. He ascended ...

in the

Jinshin War The was a war of succession that took place in the Yamato state near the end of Asuka period. It broke out in 672 following the death of Emperor Tenji. The name refers to the ''jinshin'' (Ch. ''renshen'' 壬申) or ninth year of the sexagenary c ...

. The tumulus is located about a 15-minute walk from Zezehommachi Station on the

Keihan Electric Railway The , known colloquially as the , , or simply , is a major Japanese private railway operator in Osaka, Kyoto, and Shiga Prefectures. The transit network includes seven lines; four main lines with heavy rolling stock, two interurban lines, and a ...

Ishiyama Sakamoto Line The is a railway line in Shiga Prefecture, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Keihan Electric Railway The , known colloquially as the , , or simply , is a major Japanese private railway operator in Osaka, Kyoto, and Shiga Pref ...

. ;Overall length: 122 meters ;Posterior circular portion: 70 meter diameter x 8 meter high ; "Neck" portion: 56 meters wide ;Anterior rectangular portion: 58 meters wide x 60 meters long

Gallery

File:Chausuyama Kofun (Otsu), kouenbu.jpg, posterior portion File:Chausuyama Kofun (Otsu), Akiba-jinja.jpg, Akiba Shrine located on the saddle of the tumulus File:Chausuyama Kofun (Otsu), zenpoubu.jpg, Anterior portion

References

External links

Shiga Prefecture Department of Education
{{in lang, ja Zenpokoenfun History of Shiga Prefecture Ōtsu Historic Sites of Japan

Overview

Gallery

See also

References

External links