


The majority of them are located in Nara and Osaka prefectures where you can see many different sizes of kofun mounds. Now that you have gained a little knowledge about kofun, we will introduce some places where you can see the remnants for yourself. There are especially many haniwa based on the shape of human beings with expressive faces, and some of them look undeniably cute! Places to See Kofun in Japan There are various shapes of haniwa, including circular ones and haniwa modeled after people and things. Haniwa are said to have played the role of a talisman to protect the souls of the dead. Haniwa are unglazed clay figurines arranged on or around the kofun tomb. If you already have an interest in kofun and ancient Japanese history, you have probably heard of haniwa as well. Haniwa Some haniwa have funny or cute facial expressions The remains of the burial mounds provide valuable clues to the civil engineering technology of the time, and the ornaments and other burial accessories provide fascinating insights into the lifestyle and culture of the people who lived there at that time. Since building a kofun mound required considerable manpower and financial resources, it’s very likely that the person who had the tomb built had abundant financial means at the time. As the Yamato regime’s power spread, local warlords were placed under its control, and it’s believed that they began to build kofun tombs around that time. The Yamato regime proceeded to unify Japan, and did so in just over 100 years from the late 3rd century. The appearance of kofun is believed to have had a great deal to do with the Yamato regime. The History of Kofun Burial accessories such as tools, weapons or clay figurines were often placed inside the kofun The period when kofun were constructed in Japan is also called the “ kofun period” (古墳時代).

It’s believed that it’s possible to determine a buried person’s wealth and power at the time from the burial accessories placed inside the kofun with them. The burial accessories could be anything from weapons and farming tools to decorative ornaments and tools believed to hold magical powers. Burial facilities were built inside the mounds, and burial accessories were often added as well. They were constructed in many different sizes ranging from only 10 meters to as big as 400 meters.

There are various types of burial mounds, including zenpokoenfun (前方後円墳, keyhole-shaped mounds) and enfun (円墳, round mounds). The tradition of burying people in kofun started around the 3rd century and lasted about 400 years, and they were only constructed by people holding a high rank. What is a Kofun? Kofun were constructed in many different shapes and sizesĪ kofun is a burial mound inside which an influential or important person was buried.
