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 Nishikori neighborhood of the city of

Ōtsu 270px, Ōtsu City Hall is the capital city of Shiga Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 343,991 in 153,458 households and a population density of 740 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . History Ōtsu is ...

Shiga Prefecture is a landlocked prefecture of Japan in the Kansai region of Honshu. Shiga Prefecture has a population of 1,398,972 as of 1 February 2025 and has a geographic area of . Shiga Prefecture borders Fukui Prefecture to the north, Gifu Prefecture to th ...

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 1974.

Overview

The Ōjiyama Kofun is located in the southern part of the west bank 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 ...

, west of

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 ...

Ōmijingūmae Station, at an elevation of 164 meters. It is a "two conjoined rectangles" type tumulus (), orientated to the south. it is 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 ...

'' only on the side facing Lake Biwa, and there is evidence that it was designed to be visible from the lake. The tumulus was excavated in 1964 and 1970, at which time four burial facilities were found in the anterior portion and one in the posterior portion; however, a detailed investigation was not made of the burial chambers and grave good were not recovered. Estimated to have been constructed in the late 4th century, it is the oldest tumulus to have been found in the Ōmi region. It is not known who built this tumulus, but it is believed to have some connection with the powerful Wani clan, which is known to have ruled this area of Ōmi during the Kofun period. The location of the tumulus near the site of the late

Asuka period The was a period in the history of Japan lasting from 538 to 710, although its beginning could be said to overlap with the preceding Kofun period. The Yamato period, Yamato polity evolved greatly during the Asuka period, which is named after the ...

Ōmi Palace may also have some significance. From 1981 to 1985, the tumulus was restored, and is now part of an archaeological park open to the public. It is located about ten minutes on foot from Ōmijingūmae Station on the Keihan Electric Railway Ishiyama Sakamoto Line. The National Historic Site designation includes a () with a diameter of about 20 meters, which is slightly east of the main tumulus. The mound was once surrounded by a moat. It is estimated to date from around the end of the 3rd century AD, or earlier than the main tumulus. ;Overall length: 60 meters ;Posterior portion: 35 meters wide ;Anterior portion: 25 meters wide

References

External links

Shiga Prefecture Department of Education

Shiga-Biwako Visitor's Guide

{in lang, ja History of Shiga Prefecture Ōtsu Historic Sites of Japan Zenpō-kōhō-fun

Overview

See also

References

External links