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 village of

Asuka, Nara is a village located in Takaichi District, Nara Prefecture, Japan. As of April 1, 2017, the village has an estimated population of 5,681, with 2,170 households, and a population density of . The total area is . Asuka is the land where ancient ...

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 1935. In 1954 the designation was elevated to a , The ''kofun'' is also known as the Kofun.

Overview

The Ishibutai Kofun occupies an area of , and is the largest known megalithic structure in Japan. It is located 5 km from Tanzan Shrine. It was originally covered by a mound made of piled up earth, but the earth has disappeared, exposing a horizontal stone burial chamber made of huge stones.

Name

The name of the ''kofun'' in Japanese is a combination of two words, the first, , meaning "

stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

", and the second, , meaning "

stage Stage, stages, or staging may refer to: Arts and media Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly Brit ...

". The name of the ''kofun'' therefore originates in its resemblance to a large stone stage. The Ishibutai ''kofun'' has been known by this name at least as early as the

Tokugawa period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

, as evidenced by its entry in the ''Saigoku sanjūsansho meisho zue'', a large guide to Buddhist

pilgrimage sites A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

written by Kanenari Akatsuki in 1853.

Association with Soga no Umako

The Ishibutai Kofun is inferred to be the tomb of

Soga no Umako was the son of Soga no Iname and a member of the powerful Soga clan of Japan. Conflicting evidence has suggested that Soga no Umako was actually an emperor during the Asuka period. Umako conducted political reforms with Prince Shōtoku during t ...

(559? - 626), and his death during the reign of

Empress Suiko (554 – 15 April 628) was the 33rd monarch of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō''): She introduced Buddhism in Japan and built many Buddhist temples, but she held the balance between Buddhism and Shintoism. Under her rule, Japan ...

is recorded in the ''

Nihon Shoki The or , sometimes translated as ''The Chronicles of Japan'', is the second-oldest book of classical Japanese history. It is more elaborate and detailed than the , the oldest, and has proven to be an important tool for historians and archaeol ...

''. :Summer, 5th month, 20th day. The Oho-omi died. He was buried in the tomb at Momohama. The historian and archeologist Sadakichi Kita (1871 - 1939) proposed that the Ishibutai Kofun is the above-mentioned "Momohana" tomb in the ''Nihon Shoki''. Kita also proposed that the earthen mound of the Ishibutai Kofun was removed after Soga no Umako's death as a punishment of the

Soga clan The was one of the most powerful aristocratic kin groups Uji (clan), (''uji'') of the Asuka period of the early Japanese state—the Yamato period, Yamato polity—and played a major role in the spread of Buddhism in Japan. Through the 5th and ...

by the imperial government.

Structure

The Ishibutai Kofun was built on a

spur A spur is a metal tool designed to be worn in pairs on the heels of riding boots for the purpose of directing a horse or other animal to move forward or laterally while riding. It is usually used to refine the riding aids (commands) and to ba ...

of a mountain that falls northeast to a small plateau. It consists of a platform, a gallery entryway, stone walls that form a burial chamber, two large stones that form a ceiling for the burial chamber, and embankments on either side of the tomb. In total 30 stones were used to construct the Ishibutai Kofun. The large granite megaliths come from Mount Tōnomine, which is approximately from the site.

Platform and moat

The Ishibutai ''kofun'' originally occupied a much larger area than is evidenced by the existing stone tumulus. It was built on a square platform, which measured on each side at the time of construction. Archeological excavations have revealed that the ''kofun'' was surrounded by a

moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch dug around a castle, fortification, building, or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. Moats can be dry or filled with water. In some places, moats evolved into more extensive water d ...

, a feature typical of other ''kofun'' of the period. This moat is estimated to be wide. In total the ''kofun'', platform, and moat probably covered an area long.

Approach

''Kofun'' typically had a stone approach to the entrance path of the tomb. The Ishibutai has a particularly long entrance path, which measures . A shallow drainage channel long and wide runs the length of the entrance path. This entrance was originally covered like the tomb, but its stone ceiling no longer exists.

Burial chamber

The Ishibutai ''kofun'' has a horizontal entry burial chamber opening to the southwest. The inner chamber is long, wide, and high. It consists of 30 stones, by and , and the total weight is estimated to be 2,300 tons. Small

drainage Drainage is the natural or artificial removal of a surface's water and sub-surface water from an area with excess water. The internal drainage of most agricultural soils can prevent severe waterlogging (anaerobic conditions that harm root gro ...

channels run along the east, north, and west of the tomb. These were constructed to drain water collects on the north side of the tomb to feed south into the shallow drainage channel in the kofun entry. The Ishibutai ''kofun'' is especially noted for the megaliths that form the ceiling of the tomb. The ceiling of the tomb is formed by two megaliths, one to the north and one to the south. The megalith at the north of the tomb weighs approximately , and the larger stone to the south weighs approximately .

Mound

The Ishibutai ''kofun'' was originally a large, flat type ''kofun''; the existing stone structure was covered at the time of construction by a broad, flat earthen mound. This mound eroded slowly after the construction of the ''kofun'', thus exposing the large megaliths of the tomb roof.

Excavation

The Ishibutai Kofun was first excavated by the archaeologist and academic Kōsaku Hamada (1881－1938). Imperial kofun have not been readily excavated in Japan. Due to its association with Soga no Umako, the Ishibutai tumulus does not have an imperial designation, and has thus seen extensive excavation. The kofun was first excavated in 1933, work on the base and moat began in 1935, and excavation of the tomb continued until 1975. The Ishibutai Kofun excavation yielded no significant finds. Funerary objects were probably lost to grave robbery quite soon after its construction. Stone shards to the southeast of the tomb are the remains of a

tuff Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption. Following ejection and deposition, the ash is lithified into a solid rock. Rock that contains greater than 75% ash is considered tuff, while rock co ...

sarcophagus A sarcophagus (: sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a coffin, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek language, Greek wikt:σάρξ, σάρξ ...

. Numerous examples of gilt and

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...

implements, as well as

earthenware Earthenware is glazed or unglazed Vitrification#Ceramics, nonvitreous pottery that has normally been fired below . Basic earthenware, often called terracotta, absorbs liquids such as water. However, earthenware can be made impervious to liquids ...

shards were found in the banks of the tomb approach. The excavation also revealed that seven small stone burial chambers once existed to the north and south of the existing structure. Originally thought to have been from ''baizuka'' secondary ''kofun'', it is now believed that these were from tombs pre-existing on the site, which were leveled to provide building materials for the Ishibutai Kofun mound. As excavation of the Ishibutai Kofun continued after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, significant reconstruction of areas around the ''kofun'' were carried out. A restoration and maintenance project was carried out on the tumulus from 1954 to 1959. At this time, the prefectural road that ran above the tumulus was diverted in order to excavate the outer moat. The ''kofun'' and its surrounding area is now part of the Asuka Historical National Government Park.

Transportation

The Ishibutai Kofun is accessible from Asuka Station, which is served by the Kintetsu Yoshino Line. The "Kame Bus" (Tortoise Bus), also called the Asuka Tour Bus/Asuka Circle Route Bus, serves all locations within the Asuka Historical National Government Park, and leaves hourly from Asuka Station.

Bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike, push-bike or cycle, is a human-powered transport, human-powered or motorized bicycle, motor-assisted, bicycle pedal, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, with two bicycle wheel, wheels attached to a ...

rentals are also available at numerous points around the station, and cost approximately 1000 yen a day.

Gallery

File:IshibutaiBlueStairsScan3.jpg, Stairs to Ishibutai Kofun File:Ishibutai illuminated.jpg, Ishibutai Kofun illuminated in autumn File:Ishibutai-kofun Asuka Nara pref08s4592.jpg, Ceiling of Ishibutai Kofun File:Ishibutai-kofun Asuka Nara pref09n4592.jpg, Park surrounding Ishibutai Kofun

External links

Kofun

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References

{{reflist Square Kofun Tourist attractions in Nara Prefecture Special Historic Sites Buildings and structures in Nara Prefecture History of Nara Prefecture Asuka, Nara