are megalithic tombs or 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.
The term is the origin of the name of the Kofun period, which indicates the middle 3rd century to earlyâÂÂmiddle 6th century. Many kofun have distinctive keyhole-shaped mounds (). The Mozu-Furuichi kofungun or tumulus clusters were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2019, while Ishibutai Kofun is one of a number in Asuka-Fujiwara residing on the Tentative List.
The kofun tumuli have assumed various shapes throughout history. The most common type of kofun is known as a , which is shaped like a keyhole, having one square end and one circular end, when viewed from above. There are also circular-type (), "two conjoined rectangles" typed (), and square-type () kofun. Orientation of kofun is not specified. For example, in the Mozu kofun group, in Sakai, several of the circular parts are facing north, while other face east. However, there is no such formation in the Yanagimoto kofun group. Haniwa, terracotta figures, were arrayed above and in the surroundings to delimit and protect the sacred areas.
Kofun range from several metres to over 400 m long. The largest, which has been attributed to Emperor Nintoku, is Daisen Kofun in Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture.
The funeral chamber was located beneath the round part and comprised a group of megaliths. In 1972, the unlooted Takamatsuzuka Tomb was found in Asuka, and some details of the discovery were revealed. Inside the tightly assembled rocks, white lime plasters were pasted, and colored pictures depict the 'Asuka Beauties' of the court as well as constellations. A stone coffin was placed in the chamber, and accessories, swords, and bronze mirrors were laid both inside and outside the coffin. The wall paintings have been designated national treasures and the grave goods as important cultural property, while the tumulus is a special historic site.
Kofun burial mounds and their remains have been found all over Japan, including remote islands such as Nishinoshima.
A total of 161,560 kofun tomb sites have been found as of 2001. Hyà Âgo Prefecture has the most of all prefectures (16,577 sites), and Chiba Prefecture has the second most (13,112 sites).
Most of the tombs of chiefs in the Yayoi period were square-shaped mounds surrounded by ditches. The most notable example in the late Yayoi period is Tatetsuki Mound Tomb in Kurashiki, Okayama. The mound is about 45 metres wide and 5 metres high and has a shaft chamber. Broken pieces of Tokushu-kidai, cylindrical earthenware, were excavated around the mound.
Another prevalent type of Yayoi period tomb is the Yosumi tosshutsugata funkyà «bo, a square mound with protruding corners. These tombs were built in the San'in region, a coastal area off the Sea of Japan. Unearthed articles indicate the existence of alliances between native tribes in the region.
One of the first keyhole-shaped kofun was built in the area, the southeastern part of the Nara Basin. Hashihaka Kofun, which was built in the middle of the 3rd century AD, is 280 metres long and 30 metres high. Its scale is obviously different from previous Yayoi tombs. During the next three decades, about 10 kofun were built in the area. They are now known as the Makimuku Kofun Group. A wooden coffin was placed on the bottom of a shaft, and the surrounding walls were built up by flat stones. Finally, megalithic stones formed the roof. Bronze mirrors, iron swords, magatama, clay vessels and other artifacts were found in good condition in undisturbed tombs. Some scholars assume that the person buried in the Hashihaka kofun was the shadowy ancient Queen Himiko of Yamataikoku, mentioned in Chinese historical texts. According to these texts, Japan was called Wa, and was a confederation of numerous small tribes or countries. The construction of gigantic kofun was the result of the relatively centralized governmental structure in the Nara Basin, possibly the origin of the Yamato polity and the Imperial lineage of Japan.
During the 5th century AD, the construction of keyhole kofun began in Yamato Province; continued in Kawachi, where gigantic kofun, such as Daisen Kofun of the Emperor Nintoku, were built; and then throughout the country. The proliferation of keyhole kofun is generally assumed to be evidence of the Yamato court's expansion in this age. However, some argue that it simply shows the spread of culture based on progress in distribution, and has little to do with a political breakthrough.
A few tombs from the mid-Baekje era were excavated around the Yeongsan River basin in South Korea. The design of these tombs are notably different. The tombs that were discovered on the Korean peninsula were built between the 5th and 6th centuries CE. There remain questions about who were buried in these tombs such as nobility, aristocracy, warriors or mercenaries.
Keyhole-shaped kofun disappeared in the late 6th century AD, probably due to the drastic reformation in the Yamato court. records the introduction of Buddhism during this era, which led to cremation becoming the primary funerary means of the nobility.
Keyhole Kofun, or Zenpokoenfun, are a notable type of Japanese ancient tomb consisting of a square front part () and a circular back part (). The part connecting the two is called the middle part (), which looks like a keyhole when viewed from above.
(Ã¥ÂÂ墳, enpun) are a kind of kofun that possesses only a round mound and lacks the square segment.
Square kofun (æ¹墳, hà Âfun) are a kind of kofun that possesses only a square mound and lacks the round segment. They are typically relatively smaller than the other shapes of mounded tombs.
is a kind of kofun defined by a circular body with a small part extending. This can make it an intermediate between a Keyhole-shaped kofun and a .
Famous examples include Hokenoyama Kofun in the Makimuku ruins, dated to around 250 AD, and Nyotaizan Kofun.
are a very rare kind of kofun characteristic of Emperors.
Many Japanese Emperors were buried in them including Empress KÃ Âgyoku in Kengoshizuka Kofun, Emperor Tenji in his Mausoleum, and Emperor Jomei in Dannozuka Kofun
From the end of the 6th century to the beginning of the 7th, the tumuli of the monarchs changed from to octagonal tumuli.
is a kind of kofun shaped somewhat like the more keyhole shaped Zenpokoenfun, but they have a square body rather than a circular one. They tend to be smaller than Zenpokoenfun. Yanaida Nunà Âyama Kofun is one of the largest of the type.
There is a specific style exemplified by Yadani Kofun and Jinyama Tumulus Cluster and Rokuji Kozuka Kofun and Tomisaki Kofungun of à Âzuka-Senbà Âyama Sites as , which is square or rectangular, with protrusions on each of its four corners; however, it is unique in that it is not a true rectangle, but has a narrow waist, similar to a "two conjoined rectangles" type (). The slope of the mound is covered with fukiishi -like stones, with a row of larger stones marking its edge, and is surrounded by a two-meter wide moat. The yosumi-tosshutsugata style is unique to the late middle Yayoi period and is most prevalent in western Japan in areas influenced by the Izumo culture.
is a rare kind of kofun with a round dome top and a square bottom.
They are associated with the Asuka Period. Musashi Fuchà « Kumano Jinja Kofun in Fuchà « in Tokyo and Miyazuka Kofun are two notable examples.
also sometimes referred to as or in Japanese are horizontal caves dug into cliffs and hillsides as graves for lower-ranking rulers. Unlike kofun, they were not built up out of material, but dug into the existing landscape. There is significant variation in the construction of , but the interior usually has at least a , a horizontal hallway leading in from the entrance, and a , the main chamber where the body or bodies lay, and the exterior usually has a , a sort of open space out front which may have been used as a location for rituals before internment of the remains.
This list includes the "Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group: Mounded Tombs of Ancient Japan," which was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on 6 July 2019.