Hakayama Kofun
墓山古墳
Hakayama Kofun is a large, keyhole-shaped burial mound with subsidiary tombs, indicating a powerful occupant.
What it is
- Keyhole-shaped burial mound, the Hakayama Kofun.
- Fifth largest burial mound in the Furuichi area.
- Built in the first half of the fifth century.
- Believed to contain a sarcophagus in a stone-covered shaft.
What to see
- Keyhole-shaped mound, 21 meters high, 4.3 hectares.
- Five rectangular subsidiary tombs surround the main mound.
- Haniwa pottery decorated the flat terraces.
- Oldest example of a human-shaped shield haniwa.
- Stone from Takasago in Hyogo prefecture used for chamber.
- Large caches of iron tools and weapons in subsidiary tombs.
In detail
The Hakayama kofun is in the shape of a keyhole and has a stone-covered shaft at its center. It is the fifth largest burial mound in the Furuichi area, with a maximum height of 21 meters and a total area of about 4.3 hectares. It is surrounded by five rectangular subsidiary tombs. When it was built in the first half of the fifth century, the sides of the mound were covered in stones, while the flat terraces were decorated with haniwa pottery. One of the interesting items found at the site is the oldest example of a human-shaped shield haniwa. Haniwa depicting humans would become more common after the fifth century.
Experts believe that the stone-covered shaft leads down to a sarcophagus, but it is yet unknown who is interred there. The chamber was built with stone from Takasago in Hyogo prefecture. The difficulty involved in obtaining and transporting the massive stones some 100 kilometers suggests the tomb’s occupant was a wealthy and powerful person, and that stone from Takasago was highly prized. Large caches of iron tools and weapons were found in the subsidiary tombs to the north and west of the Hakayama tomb. At the time the kofun was built, the only workable iron on the Japanese archipelago had been brought from the Korean peninsula, so this is another indication of the occupant’s power and prestige.
Text: 観光庁 地域観光資源の多言語解説文データベース. Reproduced unchanged. The notes above were written from that text by Japan Gems.
Where it is
Hakayama Kofun Open in Google Maps
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