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 ...

located between the Manotaniguchi neighborhood of the city 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 ...

. A portion of this tumuli cluster was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1974.

Overview

The Kasugayama Kofun Cluster is located on a ridge with an elevation of 160 meters, overlooking

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 ...

and the Katata Plain near Mount Kasuga, approximately one kilometer west of 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, ...

Katata Station. The Mano District, where these tumuli are located, was controlled during the Kofun period by the Wani clan, a powerful clan based in what is now

Tenri, Nara 280px, Tenri City Hall is a city located in Nara Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 60,890 in 29456 households, and a population density of 700 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . The city is named after t ...

, and it be believed that these tombs are those of various members of that clan. The site was investigated by the Shiga Prefectural Board of Education in 1968, at which time a total of 171 tumuli were recorded, and which were divided into Group A through Group E. Subsequent surveys, including a major effort in 1994, discovered more tumuli, and the total is now more than 220. Two of the 32 tumuli in Group E were keyhole-shaped , having one square end and one circular end, when viewed from above, which are believed to have been built in the latter half of the 4th century AD to the beginning of the 5th century.. All of the other tumuli are () and were built between the middle of the 6th century and the first half of the 7th century AD. Only the two keyhole-shaped tumuli are covered by the National Historic Site designation. These tumuli are designed "Mound No. 1" and "Mound No. 12". Neither has been excavated, so the details of their

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 ...

s and

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 ...

is unknown. It is assumed that Mound No. 12 was built first because it is located at the highest part of the ridge. The area is now preserved as a park. Mound No.1 ;Overall length: 65 meters ;Posterior circular portion: 32 meter diameter ;Anterior rectangular portion: 20 meters wide Mound No.12 ;Overall length: 54 meters ;Posterior circular portion: 27 meter diameter ;Anterior rectangular portion: 15 meters wide

References

External links

Kasugayama Park home page

{{in lang, ja History of Shiga Prefecture Ōtsu Historic Sites of Japan Zenpokoenfun Kofun clusters

Overview

See also

References

External links