The is a group of

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 ...

s located in the Mochida-cho neighborhood of the town of Takanabe,

Miyazaki Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Miyazaki Prefecture has a population of 1,028,215 as of 1 January 2025 and has a geographic area of 7,735 Square kilometre, km2 (2,986 sq mi). Miyazaki Prefectur ...

Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's Japanese archipelago, four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa Island, Okinawa and the other Ryukyu Islands, Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Ryukyu Islands, Islands ...

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 group was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1961.

Overview

The Mochida Kofun Cluster consists of ten , which are shaped like a keyhole, having one square end and one circular end, when viewed from above, and 75 -style round tombs located on the downstream left bank of the Komaru River, which runs through the center of the prefecture. The burial mounds are on a plateau at an elevation of approximately 50 meters, extending from east-to-west, bordering

Japan National Route 10 240px, Route 10, Ōita 240px, Route 10, Fukuoka, Kanda is a Japanese highway on the island of Kyushu. It originates at the intersection with Route 2 in Kitakyushu, Furoka and passes through the prefectural capitals of Ōita and Miyazaki ...

, and on an

alluvial plain An alluvial plain is a plain (an essentially flat landform) created by the deposition of sediment over a long period by one or more rivers coming from highland regions, from which alluvial soil forms. A ''floodplain'' is part of the process, bei ...

that spreads out to the southeast, but most of the burial mounds are concentrated on the west side of the plateau. Mochida No. 1, also known as the "Hakarizuka Kofun", located on the southwest edge of the flat plateau, is a keyhole-shaped tumulus with a total length of approximately 100 meters and is the oldest and largest of the group. It was built in the first half of the 5th century. Burial mound building reached its peak from the late 5th century to the beginning of the 6th century. Of particular note are the

grave goods Grave goods, in archaeology and anthropology, are items buried along with a body. They are usually personal possessions, supplies to smooth the deceased's journey into an afterlife, or offerings to gods. Grave goods may be classed by researche ...

which included

bronze mirror Bronze mirrors preceded the glass mirrors of today. This type of mirror, sometimes termed a copper mirror, has been found by archaeologists among elite assemblages from various cultures, from Etruscan Italy to Japan. Typically they are round a ...

s, and 34 of which have been designated as National Important Cultural Properties. The bronze mirrors from Mochida Kofun No. 20, 24 and 25 are identical in design to a bronze mirror found in the Gokantenjinyama Kofun in

Maebashi, Gunma is the capital city, capital Cities of Japan, city of Gunma Prefecture, in the northern Kantō region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 335,352 in 151,171 households, and a population density of 1100 persons per km2. The tota ...

. Other valuable artifacts include a large amount of beads and a ring-headed iron sword. These grave goods are strongly associated with the

Kinai region is a Japanese term denoting an ancient division of the country. ''Kinai'' is a name for the ancient provinces around the capital Nara and Heian-kyō. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Kinai''" in . The five provinces were called ''go-kina ...

, and are thought to indicate that the area served as an important base for the expansion of the Yamato Kingdom within eastern Kyushu. Around 1929 and 1930, the area suffered from extensive tomb robbery, and as a result, many grave goods were scattered into private collections or have otherwise become lost. The Mochida Kofun Cluster is approximately 10 minutes by car from Takanabe Station on the

JR Kyushu The , also referred to as , is one of the seven constituent companies of Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It operates intercity rail services within Kyushu, Japan. It formerly operated the Beetle hydrofoil service across the Tsushima Strait be ...

Nippō Main Line The is a railway line in Kyushu, in southern Japan, operated by Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). Also known as the Fukuhoku Nippo Line, The line connects Kokura Station in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, and Kagoshima Station in Kagoshima, Kagoshima, K ...

References

External links

Miyazaki prefecture

Takanabe Tourist Association
{{in lang, ja left, 270px, Mochida Kofun No.15 Ishifunezuka Kofun period History of Miyazaki Prefecture Historic Sites of Japan Kofun clusters

Overview

See also

References

External links