In the latter half of the Yayoi period, many tombs with large mounds of rulers who ruled a small country were built, but in the latter half of the 3rd century, larger keyhole-shaped tumuli such as keyhole-shaped tumuli were born mainly in western Japan. To do.
Inside the tumulus, there is a long wooden coffin vertical stone chamber Burial facilities and numerous bronze mirrors The grave goods such as were paid. These burial mounds are built as tombs for rulers in various regions, and the largest ones are concentrated in the area centered on the Yamato region of Nara prefecture.
Yamato administration is a political union centered on this region Is called.
Characteristics of the tumulus
The old tumuli are keyhole-shaped tumuli, keyhole-shaped tumuli, circular tumuli, and square tumuli . There are various shapes of tombs such as.
Keyhole-shaped tumuli and square tumuli were the most common, and all large-scale tumuli were keyhole-shaped tumuli. Around the tumulus, Haniwa The slopes were lined up, and some of the slopes were covered with butterbur stones and circulated around the moat.
There are different types of haniwa, cylindrical haniwa, house-shaped haniwa, shield, snow, kinugaki And so on.
In the burial facilities, wooden coffins and sarcophagus that were housed in a vertical hole stone chamber, and pit-type objects such as clay coffins that covered the casket with clay were the mainstream until the middle period. In the later stages, horizontal stone chambers Iron weapons and armor compared to the previous period when there were more religious items such as bronze mirrors and bracelets. Has increased, and warrior-like color is strong It was.
As the most famous and large burial mound in Japan, Nintoku Emperor's Tomb (Daisenryo Kofun) The length of the circular mound is 486m . There are two or three layers of moats. Such burial mounds are considered to be the tombs of the great kings of the Yamato rulers of the 5th century.
Comparison of large-scale burial mounds
| ranking | Old burial mound name | Location | Time period | Overall length (m) |
| 1 | Daisenryo Kofun | Osaka / Sakai City | Mid-term | 486 |
| 2 | Konda Mitoyama Ancient Tomb | Osaka / Habikino City | Mid-term | 425 |
| 3 | Kami Ishizu Misanzai Tomb | Osaka / Sakai City | Mid-term | 365 |
| 4 | Tsukuriyama Ancient Tomb | Okayama City | Mid-term | 360 |
| 5 | Kawachi Otsukayama Kofun | Osaka / Matsubara City | Late | 335 |
| 6 | Gojono Maruyama Tumulus | Kashihara City, Nara | Late | 318 |
| 7 | Shibuya Mukaiyama Tomb | Nara / Tenri City | First term | 302 |
| 8 | Hase Nisanzai Tomb | Sakai City, Osaka | Mid-term | 288 |
| 9 | Nakatsuyama Tomb | Osaka / Fujiidera | Mid-term | 286 |
| 9 | Sakuyama Ancient Tomb | Okayama / Soja City | Mid-term | 286 |
| 10 | Hashihaka Kofun | Sakurai City, Nara | First term | 276 |
* As you can see, most of the tumuli with a total length of over 250 m are from the middle of the Kofun period and are concentrated in Osaka Prefecture.
Life in the Kofun period
In this era, the lives of the ruler, the powerful tribe, and the ruled people were clearly separated. The gentry are moateds and fences away from the villages of the people. I built a mansion around the area and lived in politics and life.
On the other hand, in the village where the people live, there are no moats, and there are multiple pit-houses, flat-land dwellings, and stilt warehouses . It consisted of several group units such as.
The pottery is Yayoi pottery until the middle of the term. Was used, but since then Haji pottery has inherited Yayoi pottery. And the gray Sue pottery that came from the Korean Peninsula Has come to be used.
As for clothes, men wore clothes and riding trouser-style hakama, and women wore clothes and skirt-style hakama.
Festival for farming during the Yayoi period, even during the Kofun period Is important and prays for a good harvest [ Festival of the Year of Prayer ] And thank you for the harvest [ Niiname-no-Matsuri ] Was very important. People's worship was also the subject of rituals, as it was thought that God dwelled in well-shaped conical mountains, tall trees, huge rocks, and isolated islands in the sea.
Grave goods at the time of burial have also changed, and bronze mirrors, iron weapons and farm tools can now be inserted.
The political system of the Yamato administration
Great King from the 5th to 6th centuries Yamato administration centered on Has created a ruling system that includes local gentry from the Kanto region to the central part of the Kyushu region. The control system is surname system Mr. was constructed based on blood ties and other relationships. It was organized into an organization called, and divided the duties.
Politics is centered around the Great King Oomi / Dalian Was appointed and played a central role.
Below that, companionship and department Leading a group called Finance, Military, Festivals, Diplomacy I was in charge of such things.
The expansion of the great king's power was often resisted by the local tribes, and at the beginning of the 6th century, the continent's Silla Tsukushi no Iwai Iwai's rebellion continued for two years, and Tunkura accompanied by it. Was made.
Thus Yamato administration Increased the direct control while eliminating the rebellious tribes, and there name and child I left. In the 6th century, local heroes were nationally than the Great King. Appointed to guarantee local control On the other hand, serving children etc. under the Great King Let's pay local specialties , Participate in military operations I ordered service such as doing.
In this way, the influential tribes are Taso , which is their own private land. And the people, and made it an economic foundation.