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BURIAL MOUND

José Carlos Gómez Delgado
Mar 16, 2016
2 min read

An activity that I recommend to anyone who has seen the main tourist spots in Nara, is excursions to finding kofun.

Kofun is a burial mound that names the period of Japanese history that runs from 300 to 552. The kofun consisted of a stone structure (as a dolmen) covered by a mound of earth with a keyhole shape surrounded by a pond . In them, emperors and important dignitaries and other members of the elite were buried with their belongings and important objects. Although various shapes were tested in the beginning, finally the keyhole one was consolidated. The kofun present clear similarities with the pyramids in both its functionality and its majesty, being the largest of them the Emperor Nintoku's one, (located in Sakai, Osaka) greater in extent than the Pyramid of Giza.

The kofun are scattered from Kyusho to Tohoku, because they spread from the south to the north of Japan, the most modern that of Sendai. However, the greatest concentration is in Kansai, covering the area of Nara and Osaka, coinciding with the territory of the primitive state of Yamatai. The tradition of kofun was disapeared with the arrival of Buddhism and his habit of cremating.

What I find most interesting about the kofun is that despite its enormous size are not easily accessible, and reaching them can be a little challenge. Most are covered with vegetation, and to be located in the center of rural neighborhoods or forests, they are hard to find. You can not climb the mound, as they are surrounded by ponds, and once you get to them, it can only be guessed the keyhole to see a huge wooded hill surrounded by water. The only way to appreciate their magnitude is from the sky. But it surrounds it a rewarding experience, partly because of its elusive nature and the ancient mystery that holds and the atmosphere of tranquility that transmit the surrounding neighborhoods.

The northern area of Nara is particularly prolific in kofun close to each other, finding several of them almost together, only separated by beautiful paths in the woods involving a relaxing stroll on foot or by bicycle.

In this google map view of the large number Kofun at north of the Imperial Palace of Nara is clearly visible.