楯築遺跡 | |
![]() Tatetsuki Site | |
Location | Kurashiki, Okayama, Japan |
---|---|
Region | San'yō region |
Coordinates | 34°39′47″N133°49′31.75″E / 34.66306°N 133.8254861°E Coordinates: 34°39′47″N133°49′31.75″E / 34.66306°N 133.8254861°E |
Type | Kofun |
History | |
Founded | mid 2nd century |
Periods | Yayoi period |
Site notes | |
Public access | Yes (no facilities) |
![]() |
Tatetsuki Site (楯築遺跡, Tatetsuki Iseki) is a Yayoi period burial mound, located in the Yabe neighborhood of the city of Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, in the San'yō region of Japan. The tumulus was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1981. [1] It is one of the largest Yayoi period graves in Japan.
The Tatetsuki tumulus is roughly 43 meters in diameter and four to five meters in height, and has rectangular projections on the northeast and southwest sides. At the top of the tumulus, five megalithic stones surround the burial chamber, which contained a wooden coffin. On the slopes, there were about 20 stone rows with a height and width of more than one meter, on the exposed surface of the ground. However, the protruding part on the northeast side has been mostly destroyed due to the construction of the housing complex. Today, only a portion remains, extending for about ten meters. Its upper surface is about three to four meters wide. The front of the protrusion descends on a rather steep slope by about two to three meters and reaches a path running from east-to-west. Pebbles, similar to fukiishi , are placed in double and triple layers.The protruding part on the southwest side extends for about 20 meters and has a long, narrow ridge that is several meters wide and about two meters high. Both sides of the tip are rounded and a large row of stones is attached to the tip. A water tower now stands on the western part. It is possible that the tumulus was surrounded by a moat, which is now filled in. [2]
Between 1976 and 1986, six archaeological excavations were conducted by the Archeology Laboratory of the Faculty of Letters, Okayama University. Two burial chambers confirmed, and a wooden coffin was buried 1.5 meters underground in the center of the top of the mound. The excavated wooden coffin was about two meters long and 0.7 meters wide, and the bottom of the coffin was covered with 30 kilograms of vermilion. No bones were found, and only two tooth fragments were unearthed. The wooden coffin was housed in a wooden outer box with a total length of 3.5 meters and a total width of 1.5 meters. Grave goods were placed in the outer box, and included one iron sword, two necklaces, many glass beads and small tube beads. These artifacts are now housed in the Okayama University Archaeological Museum. In addition, another burial facility was discovered nine meters southeast of the central burial chamber, but only a small amount of vermillion was found and no grave goods were excavated. The paucity of burial goods is thought to be influenced by the burial customs of the period, rather than being related to authority or wealth. [2]
In the protruding portion that was destroyed during the construction of the housing complex an array of vermilion-lacquered pot-shaped earthenware was discovered. Based on these pots and other pottery fragments found throughout the tumulus, it is believed that this site was a burial mound for chieftains of the Kingdom of Kibi the late Yayoi period (late 2nd century to early 3rd century). After the end of the Civil War of Wa at the end of the 2nd century, large-scale burial mounds began to appear along the coast of the Seto Inland Sea, which includes this area. The fact that such large burial mounds were built before the Kofun period suggests that there was a large political power in this area that used special vessels and jars for funerary ceremonies. Later, in the middle of the Kofun period, Tsukuriyama Kofun, Sakuyama Kofun and other large keyhole-shaped burial mounds were constructed in the vicinity of this site. [2]
On the top of the mound was stone carved with a pattern of swirling lines and discs, known as the Sentaimon-seki (旋帯文石). This pattern is of the same kind as found on special vessel stands used for ritual ceremonies in the Yayoi period. This stone has been passed down from generation to generation at Tatetsuki Shrine, which existed until the beginning of the Taisho period, and is now housed in a storehouse near the ruins. This is called a "dense arc belt pattern stone", and similar arc-patterned discs have been found at the Makimuku ruins in Sakurai, Nara. The stone is designated a National Important Cultural Property [3]
The Tatetsuki tumulus is located in the Ohaka-no-oka Historic Site Park which includes the Ohakayama Kofun and the Hibata Temple Ruins. It is located about 30 minutes on foot from Kibitsu Station on the JR West Kibi Line. [2]
Kofun are megalithic tombs or tumuli in Northeast Asia. Kofun were mainly constructed in the Japanese archipelago between the middle of the 3rd century to the early 7th century CE.
Kurashiki is a city located in Okayama Prefecture, Japan. As of 31 March 2023, the city had an estimated population of 478,651 and a population density of 1300 persons per km². The total area of the city is 355.63 square kilometres (137.31 sq mi).
Ōzuka-Senbōyama Sites (王塚・千坊山遺跡群) is a group of seven archaeological sites located in what is now part of the city of Toyama in the Hokuriku region of Japan. The sites consist of the ruins of a settlement which existed from the late Jōmon period through Kofun period, and several necropolis with numerous kofun burial mounds. The Ōzuka Kofun received protection as a National Historic Site in 1948 and the area under protection was expanded to cover the other six sites in 2005.
The Shinpōinyama Kofun group is cluster of kofun burial mounds dating from the late Yayoi to the early Kofun period located in the Mukasatakenouchi neighborhood of the city of Iwata, Shizuoka in the Tōkai region of Japan. The site was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1987.
The Kōjinyama Kofun (荒神山古墳) is a Kofun period burial mound located between the Hinatsu and Kiyosaki neighborhoods of the city of Hikone Shiga Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. The tumulus was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 2011.
The Hashihaka kofun is a megalithic tomb (kofun) located in Sakurai, Nara Prefecture, Japan. The Hashihaka kofun is considered to be the first large keyhole-shaped kofun constructed in Japan and is associated with the emergence of the Yamato Kingship.
The Makimuku ruins are ruins in Nara Prefecture Sakurai near Mount Miwa of the Yayoi Period.
The Okameishi Kofun (お亀石古墳) is a Kofun period square-shaped burial mound, located in the Nakano neighborhood of the city of Tondabayashi, Osaka in the Kansai region of Japan. The tumulus was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 2002 collectively with the nearby Shindō temple ruins and the Oganji-ike tile kiln ruins.
The Hiyoshigaoka - Akashi Tumuli is a group of late Yayoi to early Kofun period burial mounds, located in the Akeshi neighborhood of the town of Yosano, Kyoto in the Kansai region of Japan. The tumulus group was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 2005.
The Yoshima Kofun (吉島古墳), also known as the Yoshima Matsuyama Kofun (吉島松山古墳) is a kofun burial mound located in the Shingū neighborhood of the city of Tatsuno, Hyōgo Prefecture, in the Kansai region of Japan. The tumulus was designated a National Historic Site in 1978.
The Tano Site is an archaeological site with the traces of a Yayoi period settlement straddling the border between the cities of Amagasaki and Itami, Hyōgo Prefecture, in the Kansai region of Japan. It was designated a National Historic Site in 1969.
The Amidaji Kofun cluster (阿弥大寺古墳群) is a group of three late Yayoi period burial mounds located in the Shimofukuda neighborhood of the city of Kurayoshi, Tottori Prefecture in the San'in region of Japan. The tumulus group was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1981.
The Ōya-Sada Kofun Cluster is a group of six kofun burial mounds located in the Kaminakatsui neighborhood of the city of Maniwa, Okayama Prefecture, in the San'yō region of Japan. The tumuli were collectively designated a National Historic Site in 2008. The tumuli area considered to be representative of large chieftain tombs of the late Kofun period of the Kingdom of Kibi.
Ryōgūzan Kofun (両宮山古墳) is a Kofun period burial mound, located in the city of Awaiwa, Okayama Prefecture, in the San'in region of Japan. The tumulus was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1924 with the area under protection expanded in 1978 and again in 2006. It is largest keyhole-shaped burial mound in the Bizen region and the third largest in Okayama Prefecture, and the 39th largest in Japan.
Urama Chasusuyama Kofun (浦間茶臼山古墳) is a Kofun period burial mound located in the Urama neighborhood of Higashi-ku, Okayama, Okayama Prefecture, in the San'yō region of Japan. The tumulus was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1974.It is believed to have been built at the end of the 3rd century in the early Kofun period. It is one of the oldest large keyhole-shaped burial mounds in ancient Kingdom of Kibi.
Tsuruyama Maruyama Kofun (鶴山丸山古墳) is a Kofun period burial mound, located in the Hatakeda, neighborhood of the city of Bizen, Okayama Prefecture, in the San'yō region of Japan. The tumulus was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1957.
Musa Ōtsuka Kofun (牟佐大塚古墳) is a Kofun period burial mound located in the Musa neighborhood of Kita-ku, Okayama, Okayama Prefecture, in the San'yō region of Japan. The tumulus was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1930.
Onoe Kurumayama Kofun (尾上車山古墳) is a Kofun period burial mound located in the Onoe neighborhood of Kita-ku, Okayama, Okayama Prefecture, in the San'yō region of Japan. The tumulus was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1972.It is also called the "Girigiriyama Kofun" (ぎりぎり山古墳).
Jingūjiyama Kofun (神宮寺山古墳) is a Kofun period burial mound located in the Nakai neighborhood of Kita-ku, Okayama, Okayama Prefecture, in the San'yō region of Japan. The tumulus was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1959.
Yata Ōtsuka Kofun (箭田大塚古墳) is a Kofun period burial mound located in the Mabi-chō neighborhood of the city of Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, in the San'yō region of Japan. The tumulus was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1929, with the area under protection expanded in 1992.
Media related to Tatetsuki Site at Wikimedia Commons