Eta Funayama Kofun () is a ''

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 ...

'', or

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 Nagomi, Kumamoto in

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 mound was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1951. The designation includes and . Several artifacts excavated from the mound have been designated

National Treasures of Japan Some of the National Treasures of Japan A is " Tangible Cultural Properties designated by law in modern Japan as having extremely high value." Specifically, it refers to buildings, arts, and crafts designated as especially valuable from ...

are now at the

Tokyo National Museum The or TNM is an art museum in Ueno Park in the Taitō wards of Tokyo, ward of Tokyo, Japan. It is one of the four museums operated by the , is considered the oldest national museum and the largest art museum in Japan. The museum collects, prese ...

(see List of National Treasures of Japan). The style of the bronze items resemble artifacts from the Korean kingdom of

Baekje Baekje or Paekche (; ) was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BCE to 660 CE. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla. While the three kingdoms were in separate existence, Baekje had the h ...

, which had many exchanges with Japan at the time.Gilt Bronze Crown, Tokyo National Museum
/ref>

Eta Funayama Sword

The is a 5th-century ancient iron sword excavated from the mound in 1873. The inscription on the blade indicates that the sword was made during the era of

Emperor Yūryaku (417/18 – 479) was the 21st Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. According to the ''Kojiki'', this Emperor is said to have ruled from the Thirteenth Day of the Eleventh Month of 456 ( Heishin) until his death on ...

in the 5th century. This sword, along with other items from the mound, have been designated

in the category archaeological materials.

Inscription

The original inscription and translation is as follows:Seeley, Christopher. ''A History of Writing in Japan''.

Brill Academic Publishers Brill Academic Publishers () is a Dutch international academic publisher of books, academic journals, and databases founded in 1683, making it one of the oldest publishing houses in the Netherlands. Founded in the South Holland city of Leiden, ...

. 1991. pp 24–25. . Portions of the text are now illegible (rendered above as □ in the Japanese inscription, or ellipses in the English translation), making it difficult to interpret. The name of the ruler, Wakatakiru, is reconstructed from evidence on the Inariyama burial mound sword.

Excavated items

Periodo kofun, armatura dal tumulo Eta-Funayama, V-VI sec.JPG, Iron armor set with '' tankō'' style cuirass Gilt bronze crown from the Eta Funayama Tomb - Tokyo National Museum - DSC06418.JPG, Bronze crown with traces of gilding Mirror with Design of Divinities and Animals, China, from the Eta Funayama Tomb - Tokyo National Museum - DSC06414.JPG, Bronze mirror of Chinese origin Slippers from Eta Funayama Tumulus, Nagomi-machi, Kumamoto, Kofun period, 5th-6th century, gilt bronze - Tokyo National Museum - DSC05636.JPG, Bronze shoes with hexagonal pattern

Note

References

* {{cite book , last = Seeley , first = Christopher , title = A History of Writing in Japan , publisher =

, year = 1991 , isbn = 9004090819 , pages = 24–25 , url = https://books.google.com/books?id=KCZ2ya6cg88C&pg=PA24 Kofun period Old Japanese texts National Treasures of Japan Individual Japanese swords Zenpokoenfun