Fujinoki Kofun
Fujinoki-Kofun ( Japanese 藤 ノ 木 古墳 ) is a round barrow ( Kofun ) and thus an archaeological site from the late Kofun period (last quarter of the 6th century) in the municipality of Ikaruga in the Japanese prefecture of Nara . The dating was based on a large number of Hagi and Sue ceramics that were found in the burial chamber. The barrow is located about 350 m west of the Hōryū-ji temple . As the temple is a tourist attraction, replicas of found objects are also exhibited here. There is also a 3D model of the excavated bridle made by the Archaeological Research Institute of Nara Prefecture in Kashihara .
overview
The Fujinoki-Kofun is a round barrow with a diameter of originally approx. 50 m and a height of nine meters. Since the Kofun is located in a wetland, it is exposed to erosion and therefore currently has a diameter of approx. 40 m and a height of 7.6 m. The kofun was lined with cylindrical haniwa . Until then, archaeologists had assumed that the production of haniwa had already ended in the middle of the 6th century.
The stone burial chambers with side entrances ( 横 穴 式 石室 yokoana sekishitsu ) not affected by illegal robbery excavations contained the remains of two men in house-shaped stone coffins. The burial chambers, which can be reached via an eight meter long and approximately 1.8 to 2.1 m wide corridor ( 羨 道 endō ), are located in the center of the barrow. The grave chamber to the west is six meters long, while the one to the east is only slightly smaller at 5.7 m. The width of the chambers is 2.4 to 2.7 m, the height is between 4.2 and 4.4 m. The bottom of the burial chambers is covered with pebbles that act as drainage. The two stone coffins are made of white tuff from Mount Nijō. They are decorated outside and inside with red pigment made from vermilion . The size of the coffins is 235 × 130 × 97 cm; they are provided with a 52 cm thick stone cover.
Buried people
Since plenty of horse harness and gold bronze jewelry as well as swords were found as grave goods, the researchers assume that they were leading personalities of the time. Since emperors were not buried in round barrows, they were probably people with great political influence. Archaeologists Michio Maezono and Taichirō Shiraishi refer to an event from the Nihonshoki that occurred in June 587. They assume that the two buried are on the one hand the uncle of Crown Prince Shōtoku , Anahobe no miyako ( 穴 穂 部 皇子 ), who was murdered by Soga no Umako . According to archaeologists, the second person could have been the son of Senka - Tennō , Prince Yakabe ( 宅 部 皇子 Yakabe no miko ).
In addition to this assumption, Motohiko Izawa and Ryōshin Takada, elders of the Hōryū-ji temple, assume that the previously unknown grave of Emperor Sushun and Prince Yamato no Aya no koma ( 東漢 駒 ), who was also murdered by Soga no Umako, in Fujinoki-Kofun see is.
Excavation history and artifacts
Between 1985 and 2016, a total of six excavations were carried out on Fujinoki-Kofun, carried out by the Kashihara Research Institute and supported by the Education Committee of Ikaruga City and the Prefecture.
During the first excavation from July to December 1985, the access and the two stone coffins along with many gold bronze objects outside the coffins were discovered. In 1988 an endoscopic examination of the coffins was carried out and confirmation was received that no water had penetrated, so that the researchers were able to deal intensively with the coffins in the subsequent excavations.
The Fujinoki-Kofun has been declared a national historical site; The stone coffins were named important cultural assets in 1988 because of their importance for archeology . The declaration was expanded to include other excavated artifacts in 1991, and in 2004 it was designated a national treasure .
The shoe and the remains of the saddle made of gold bronze belong to the national treasure (see picture below). Furthermore, various weapons and armor components made of gold bronze and 46 ceramic vessels (37 Sue and 9 Hagi ceramics). In addition, four bronze mirrors found in the coffins, six swords and decorations made of copper and silver as well as some glass beads and textile fibers belong to the national treasure.
gallery
Gold bronze saddle decoration (front saddle arch)
Gold bronze saddle decoration (rear saddle arch)
Armor plates in leaf form
Bits of the horse's bridle
Ceramics
Gold bronze crown
Gold bronze shoe
Cylindrical object made of gold bronze
Web links
- 斑鳩 町 藤 ノ 木 古墳 . City of Ikaruga,Retrieved November 24, 2019(Japanese, With illustrations and descriptions of the excavated artifacts).
- 藤 ノ 木 古墳 と 古代 の 河内 . In:Comprehensive Database of Archeological Site Reports in Japan. Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, March 30, 1991,accessed November 24, 2019(Japanese).
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d 藤 ノ 木 古墳 . In: 国 指定 史跡 ガ イ ド u. a. at kotobank.jp. Retrieved November 24, 2019 (Japanese).
- ↑ 奈良 県 景 観 資産 - 藤 ノ 木 古墳 を 眺望 で き る 法 隆 寺 周 辺 - . Nara Prefecture, 2013, accessed November 24, 2019 (Japanese, with numerous illustrations).
- ↑ 藤 ノ 木 古墳 . In: 国 指定 文化 財 等 デ ー タ ベ ー ス . Cultural Affairs Office , accessed November 24, 2019 (Japanese).
- ↑ a b 藤 ノ 木 古墳 〔生 駒 郡 斑鳩 町〕 . Archaeological Institute of Kashihara, Nara prefecture, accessed November 24, 2019 (Japanese, with an illustration of the inside of a stone coffin).
Coordinates: 34 ° 36 ′ 42.5 ″ N , 135 ° 43 ′ 46 ″ E