is an early

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 Chihara neighborhood of the city of

Sakurai, Nara file:Sakurai city-office.jpg, 270px, Sakurai City Hall is a city located in Nara Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 54,384 in 25678 households, and a population density of 550 persons per km2. The total area of the city i ...

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 1982.

Overview

Chihara Ōbaka Kofun is located in the southeastern part of the Nara Basin, at the western foot of

Mount Miwa or is a mountain located in the city of Sakurai, Nara Prefecture, Japan. It has been an important religious and historical mountain in Japan, especially during its early history, and serves as a holy site in Shinto. The entire mountain is co ...

. The area contains the Yamato Tomb Group, including the

Hashihaka Kofun The is a megalithic tomb (''kofun'') located in Sakurai, Nara Prefecture, Japan. The Hashihaka ''kofun'' is considered to be the first large keyhole-shaped ''kofun'' constructed in Japan and is associated with the emergence of the Yamato Kingshi ...

, dating from early Kofun period, (3rd to the latter half of the 4th century); however, this ''kofun'' is from the middle of the Kofun period, no other major tombs from around the time of the construction of this tumulus are in the immediate vicinity. It was excavated in 1978. The tumulus is a orientated to the north. It as a length of 67 meters, with a posterior circular portion 56 meters in diameter and eight meters tall. The anterior portion has a maximum width of 29 meters, and is two meters tall. There is a reservoir pond on the west side of the tumulus, which is thought to be the surviving remains of a moat. The posterior mound is constructed in five tiers, with ''

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 cylindrical and house-shaped

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 ...

on the surface. In 2011, a ''haniwa'' from the late 4th century depicting a human head on a shield was found in the moat, and is the oldest anthropomorphic ''haniwa'' yet discovered. The burial facility is unclear, and details about the

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

are also unknown.. The tumulus is about a 20-minute walk from

Miwa Station is a passenger railway station located in the city of Sakurai, Nara, Japan. It is operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West). Lines Although the station is on the Sakurai Line as rail infrastructure, it has been served by the Man-yō ...

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, ...

Sakurai Line The is a railway line operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) in Nara Prefecture. It connects Nara Station, Nara on the Yamatoji Line to Takada Station (Nara), Takada on the Wakayama Line, with some services continuing on the Wakayama L ...

. File:Chihara Ohaka Kofun, funcho.jpg, Top of the mound at the rear of the mound File:Chihara Ohaka Kofun, kouenbu.jpg, View of the mound at the rear from the front File:Chihara Ohaka Kofun, zenpoubu.jpg, View of the front from the rear

References

External links

Sakurai City Tourist Association home page
{in lang, ja History of Nara Prefecture Sakurai, Nara Historic Sites of Japan Scallop Kofun

Overview

See also

References

External links