Shizuhatagayama Kofun
Encyclopedia
is a circular kofun
burial mound located within the grounds of the Shizuoka Sengen Shrine
complex in Aoi-ku, Shizuoka
, Japan
. It is protected by the central government as a national historic site.
Located on the hilltop immediately behind the Honden
of the Ohtoshimioya Shrine, the burial mound has a horizontal chamber of cut stones, surmounted by a stone dome, approximately seven meters in diameter. The interior burial chamber has a length of 6.5 meters, height of 2.3 meters and width of 1.8 meters. A rock-lined tunnel 18.2 meters long connects the burial chamber to an opening in the hillside. Some 600 head-sized boulders from the nearby Abe River
were used in its construction.
The burial chamber contains a stone sarcophagus
made of tuff
from Izu peninsula
.
The kofun was excavated in 1949. Numerous shards of Hagi ware and Sue ware
were found on the floor of the tomb, and remnants of armor, swords and bronze horse fittings were found within the sarcophagus, indicating that the burial dates from around the 6th century AD. The name or rank of the person buried in the tomb is unknown. The site came under government protection in 1953, and many of the artifacts uncovered are displayed at a small museum within the grounds of the Shizuoka Sengen Shrine.
Kofun
Kofun are megalithic tombs or tumuli in Japan, constructed between the early 3rd century and early 7th century. They gave their name to the Kofun period . Many of the Kofun have a distinctive keyhole-shaped mound , unique to ancient Japan...
burial mound located within the grounds of the Shizuoka Sengen Shrine
Shizuoka Sengen Shrine
is the name for a collective group of three Shinto shrines now forming a single religious corporation, located at Mount Shizuhata in Aoi-ku, Shizuoka in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. These shrines are the Kambe Jinja , Sengen Jinja , and Ohtoshimioya Jinja...
complex in Aoi-ku, Shizuoka
Aoi-ku, Shizuoka
is one of three wards of Shizuoka, Shizuoka, Japan, located in the northern part of the city. Aoi-ku borders Suruga-ku in the south and Shimizu-ku to the southeast; the west faces Shimada, Fujieda and Kawanehon and its northern tip extends into the border between Nagano Prefecture and Yamanashi...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. It is protected by the central government as a national historic site.
Located on the hilltop immediately behind the Honden
Honden
The , is the most sacred building at a Shinto shrine, intended purely for the use of the enshrined kami, usually symbolized by a mirror or sometimes by a statue. The building is normally in the rear of the shrine and closed to the general public. In front of its usually stands the haiden, or...
of the Ohtoshimioya Shrine, the burial mound has a horizontal chamber of cut stones, surmounted by a stone dome, approximately seven meters in diameter. The interior burial chamber has a length of 6.5 meters, height of 2.3 meters and width of 1.8 meters. A rock-lined tunnel 18.2 meters long connects the burial chamber to an opening in the hillside. Some 600 head-sized boulders from the nearby Abe River
Abe River
The is a river in Shizuoka Prefecture of central Japan. It is long and has a watershed of .The river rises from Akaishi Mountains which stretch over the border between Yamanashi and Shizuoka Prefectures, and flows into Suruga Bay in the Pacific Ocean)...
were used in its construction.
The burial chamber contains a stone sarcophagus
Sarcophagus
A sarcophagus is a funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved or cut from stone. The word "sarcophagus" comes from the Greek σαρξ sarx meaning "flesh", and φαγειν phagein meaning "to eat", hence sarkophagus means "flesh-eating"; from the phrase lithos sarkophagos...
made of tuff
Tuff
Tuff is a type of rock consisting of consolidated volcanic ash ejected from vents during a volcanic eruption. Tuff is sometimes called tufa, particularly when used as construction material, although tufa also refers to a quite different rock. Rock that contains greater than 50% tuff is considered...
from Izu peninsula
Izu Peninsula
The is a large mountainous peninsula with deeply indented coasts to the west of Tokyo on the Pacific coast of the island of Honshū, Japan. Formerly the eponymous Izu Province, Izu peninsula is now a part of Shizuoka Prefecture...
.
The kofun was excavated in 1949. Numerous shards of Hagi ware and Sue ware
Sue ware
was a blue-gray form of high-fired pottery which was produced in Japan and southern Korea during the Kofun, Nara, and Heian periods of Japanese history. It was initially used for funerary and ritual objects, and originated from a Korean stoneware style known as “Kaya ware”...
were found on the floor of the tomb, and remnants of armor, swords and bronze horse fittings were found within the sarcophagus, indicating that the burial dates from around the 6th century AD. The name or rank of the person buried in the tomb is unknown. The site came under government protection in 1953, and many of the artifacts uncovered are displayed at a small museum within the grounds of the Shizuoka Sengen Shrine.