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 Nishisho neighborhood of the town of

Higashimiyoshi, Tokushima 270px, Yoshino River in Higashimiyoshi 270px, Minoda Gorge 270px, Yoshinogawa Highway Oasis is a town located in Miyoshi District, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 13,733 in 6281 households and a populat ...

on the island of

Shikoku is the smallest of the List of islands of Japan#Main islands, four main islands of Japan. It is long and between at its widest. It has a population of 3.8 million, the least populated of Japan's four main islands. It is south of Honshu ...

in Japan. It was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1977.

Overview

The Tanda Kofun is located on a ridge of 460-meter Mount Kamo, on the south bank of the middle reaches of the

Yoshino River The Yoshino River (吉野川 ''Yoshino-gawa'') is a river on the island of Shikoku, Japan. It is long and has a watershed of . It is the second longest river in Shikoku (slightly shorter than the Shimanto), and is the only river whose watershe ...

in western Tokushima Prefecture. It is a , which is shaped like a keyhole, having one square end and one circular end, when viewed from above. The tumulus was originally believed to be an ancient

sutra mound A is an archaeological site where sūtras were buried underground. In Japanese Buddhism, it is a type of good deed, and was done as a type of puja. Examples of sutra mounds include the Katsuragi 28 Shuku in the Kansai region of Japan. Descr ...

and had a small chapel to

Kūkai , born posthumously called , was a Japanese Buddhist monk, calligrapher, and poet who founded the Vajrayana, esoteric Shingon Buddhism, Shingon school of Buddhism. He travelled to China, where he studied Tangmi (Chinese Vajrayana Buddhism) und ...

on its summit. It was found to be an ancient ''kofun'' by the town's cultural properties committee in 1958. It is unusual in that the tumulus is a pile of crystalline

schist Schist ( ) is a medium-grained metamorphic rock generally derived from fine-grained sedimentary rock, like shale. It shows pronounced ''schistosity'' (named for the rock). This means that the rock is composed of mineral grains easily seen with a l ...

stone rubble, with no soil used in its construction. It has a total length of 37 meters, orientated to the west. The

burial chamber A chamber tomb is a tomb for burial used in many different cultures. In the case of individual burials, the chamber is thought to signify a higher status for the interred than a simple grave. Built from rock or sometimes wood, the chambers could ...

is a pit-type stone chamber in the posterior circular portion, and measures 4.51 meters in length, 1.3 meters in width (eastern end), 1.28 meters (western end), and 1.2 meters in height. An

archaeological excavation In archaeology, excavation is the exposure, processing and recording of archaeological remains. An excavation site or "dig" is the area being studied. These locations range from one to several areas at a time during a project and can be condu ...

was conducted in 1969 by

Doshisha University , also referred to as , is a private university in Kyoto, Japan. Established in 1875, it is one of Japan's oldest private institutions of higher learning, and has approximately 30,000 students enrolled on four campuses in Kyoto. It is one of Japa ...

, and

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 ...

, including one

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 ...

, an iron sword and an iron ax, form the early Kofun period were found. A group of

pit dwelling A pit-house (or pit house, pithouse) is a house built in the ground and used for shelter. Besides providing shelter from the most extreme of weather conditions, this type of earth shelter may also be used to store food (just like a pantry, a lar ...

s from the end of the

Yayoi period The Yayoi period (弥生時代, ''Yayoi jidai'') (c. 300 BC – 300 AD) is one of the major historical periods of the Japanese archipelago. It is generally defined as the era between the beginning of food production in Japan and the emergence o ...

was found at the nearby Kamo Higashihara site, and it is presumed that the village was involved in the construction of the Tanda Kofun. The tumulus is about 15 minutes by car from

Awa-Kamo Station is a passenger railway station located in the town of Higashimiyoshi, Miyoshi District, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by JR Shikoku and has the station number "B22". Lines Awa-Kamo Station is served by the Tokushima Line and is ...

on the

JR Shikoku The , commonly known as , is the smallest of the seven constituent companies of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It operates of intercity and local rail services in the four Prefectures of Japan, prefectures on the island of Shikoku in Jap ...

Tokushima Line The is a railway line in Tokushima Prefecture, Japan, owned and operated by Shikoku Railway Company (JR Shikoku). The Tokushima Line connects Sako Station in Tokushima and Tsukuda Station in Miyoshi from west to east in central Tokushima ...

. ;Overall length: 37 meters ;Posterior circular portion: 17.5 meter diameter x 3 meters high ;Anterior rectangular portion: 6.6 meters wide x 1 meter high ; Connecting restriction: 10 meters wide

References

External links

Higashimiyoshi Town home page

Tokushima Prefecture home page
{{in lang, ja History of Tokushima Prefecture Higashimiyoshi, Tokushima Historic Sites of Japan Zenpō-kōhō-fun

Overview

See also

References

External links