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What are the best kofun in Japan?

Before I answer that question, first some facts.

Kofun are burial mounds dating back to the 3rd-7th centuries. They are also called takatsuka or tsuka. Kofun were covered with a large mound of earth. The burial chamber is either a pit or an artificial cave. There are about 30,000 such kofun in Japan.

[Takamatsu Kofun, Asuka, Nara. Photo Ad Blankestijn]

Kofun were constructed for tribal chieftains. Haniwa, clay images, were placed on the surface of the mounds – perhaps to spiritually guard the site, or to establish its sacred boundaries. Haniwa include houses, boats and humans, but are also often simple cylinders. The large tombs also contain burial goods as bronze mirrors (sign of authority), weapons and jewelry.

Kofun can be round or square, but the most typical form is the so-called keyhole shape (zenpo-koen-fun).

Almost 900 kofun, mostly in the Kansai area, have been designated as in some way associated with the Imperial House – often without solid historical evidence. These mounds are under control of the Imperial Household Agency and are unfortunately not open to archeological research and excavations, thereby obscuring an important window on Japanese history.

[Tumuli in Sakitama Historical Park, Gyoda. Photo Ad Blankestijn]

Interesting are also the 600 “decorated” tombs found mainly in Kyushu, dating from the 5th and 6th centuries.

Now the answer. Here are the five most interesting kofun or kofun clusters (note: I only include places where you can have a good view of the kofun. Very famous tombs as the Daisenryo in Sakai have not been included, as there is nothing to see):

1. *** Kofun in the Asuka area, south of Nara. It is possible to make a walking tour along these mounds from Asuka Station. You can also rent a bicycle.
Most important are the Takamatsuzuka Kofun (includes a small museum where replica of the wallpaintings are shown), the tombs of Emperor Temmu and Empress Jito, and the Ishibutai, an exposed stone kofun chamber. There is much more to see in Asuka, such as Asukadera, so you can easily spend a full day here.

[Ishibutai in Asuka. Photo Ad Blankestijn]

2. *** Saitobaru Kofun cluster in Miyazaki Pref. (1 hour by bus from Miyazaki City). In a beautiful park with a mysterious atmosphere, at the foot of the Kirishima volcanic plateau. 300 mounds of various shapes and sizes. There is a small museum as well. The unusual haniwa found here, as a house and boat, are housed in the Tokyo National Museum.

3. ** The Sakitama Historical Park in Gyoda (Saitama) consists of nine large-scale tumuli graves (kofun) built between the end of the fifth and beginning of the seventh century. Again in a beautiful park. There is a large museum and also interesting is that one of the kofun can be entered to see a replica of the burial chamber. See my previous post about the Sakitama Historical Park.

4. ** Boso Fudoki no Oka (Chiba), a scenic, historical park covering 32 hectares, laid out on a hill dotted with about 120 old tumulus graves. There are small grave mounds, not more than tiny knolls, lying in the shade of large trees, but also imposing, grassy mounds.

[Boso Fudoki no Oka, Chiba. Photo Ad Blankestijn]

The park is situated on a low ridge, with the wide Kanto plain at one’s feet, as if the dead have been honored with VIP seats. See my previous posts about Boso Fudoki no Oka and nearby Ryukakuji Temple.

5. ** Chikatsu-Asuka is an area in southern Osaka Prefecture with over 200 tumuli graves (kofun) from the 6th and 7th century, and also the famous Prince Shotoku is said to be buried here at Eifukuji Temple. The kofun are not very special here (difficult to see through the dense vegetation) but there is a huge museum dedicated to tomb culture, designed by none other than Ando Tadao. It features a huge sloping stepped roof and inside, a vaulted space like a blown-up tumulus grave. The museum displays both models and archeological items from the Kofun- and Asuka-periods. see my previous post about the Chikatsu-Asuka Museum.

[Saitobaru, Miyazaki. Photo Ad Blankestijn]

As a bonus, I mention the Hashizuka in southern Nara, which you can see when you walk the famous old route of the Yamanobe Road (a hike which gets *** stars).

For the Daisenryo, visit the Sakai City Museum instead. Full scale models of decorated tombs of northern Kyushu can be found in the Kumamoto Prefectural Art Museum.

Do you have any other suggestions for kofun?