Kubizuka (首塚, literally ''neck mound'' in Japanese, often translated as ''head tomb'') is a type of

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 ...

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 ...

, in which severed heads are interred. The heads were often those taken as trophies following a battle or in some cases, the ''kubizuka'' holds the heads of those who were executed by

decapitation Decapitation is the total separation of the head from the body. Such an injury is invariably fatal to humans and all vertebrate animals, since it deprives the brain of oxygenated blood by way of severing through the jugular vein and common c ...

, whether

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

or convicted criminals who were sentenced to death. The dedicated grave is meant to put the souls to rest. In Japanese history, battles were often followed by a head-viewing ceremony, in which warriors presented the head(s) of opponents they had killed in combat to their commander. The head of the deceased warrior was identified, and a record was kept of who had killed whom. To console the souls of the defeated, many kubizuka were built. There are kubizuka enshrining a single person (like an enemy samurai commander), so they do not become a vengeful

onryō In Japanese traditional beliefs and literature, are a type of ghost () believed to be capable of causing harm in the world of the living, injuring or killing enemies, or even causing natural disasters to exact Revenge, vengeance to "redres ...

later, and kubizuka enshrining many soldiers (''zohyo'') killed in one battle, such as the grave associated with the

Battle of Sekigahara The Battle of Sekigahara (Shinjitai: ; Kyūjitai: , Hepburn romanization: ''Sekigahara no Tatakai'') was an important battle in Japan which occurred on October 21, 1600 (Keichō 5, 15th day of the 9th month) in what is now Gifu Prefecture, ...

. A great number of both types of kubizuka still exist throughout Japan.

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were gathered and buried as the substitute of heads, because it was impossible to bring back the severed heads from overseas; it has the same symbolic meaning as kubizuka. It is located near the front of present-day

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, and originally was in front of the gate of Hoko-ji Temple in Higashiyama Ward in Kyoto.

Kubizuka across Japan

* Kubizuka of

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: located at the side of Mochitora confectionery shop at Sanjo-Sagaru (to the south of Sanjo), Shirakawa-dori Street,

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. * Kubizuka of

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, (also being referred to as Senninzuka – memorial mound of 1000 people): located at the ruins of

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* Kubizuka of Asari Katsuyori: located at Hiyama,

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. * Kubizuka of

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: Shinjo Ankokuji Temple,

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. * Kubizuka of

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. * Kubizuka for the dead in the

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: two Kubizuka inside and one outside of the Hachimanpara historic park, Nagano. * Kubizuka of

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: located at

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, Yasui Higashiyama, Kyoto. * Kubizuka of

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: Teramoto Kanshinji Temple,

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. * Kubizuka for the dead in the

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: located at Yazako,

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. * Kubizuka of

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: located at Hozo-ji Temple, Motojuku,

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. * Kubizuka of

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: located at

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. * Kubizuka of

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: located at

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." ''City of Chiyoda''. Retrieved on December 28, 2008. is a S ...

. * Kubizuka of

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: Sagano Takiguchi-dera, Kyoto * Kubizuka of

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: located at Moriguro, Asahi-cho, Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture. *

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Kubizuka: located along National Route 21, Oniiwa Park,

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. * Kubizuka of Munenaga Yamaguchi: Daishoji Shincho, Kaga City, Ishikawa Prefecture. * Kubizuka of Christian martyrs of in 1657: In front of Haraguchimachi Community Center,

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References

{{reflist Death customs Mounds