Nagae-Sakurayama Kofun Cluster, Ancient burial mounds in Zushi and Hayama, Japan
The Nagae-Sakurayama Kofun Cluster is a group of two large keyhole-shaped burial mounds on the border between Zushi and Hayama in Kanagawa Prefecture. Each mound has the rounded front section and the rectangular rear section that define this type of burial monument.
The mounds were built in the 4th century, during a period when this type of burial monument spread across Japan. Their scale points to the people buried here having held considerable power in the region.
Excavations at the site have brought up pottery fragments and wooden caskets that show how people of this period treated their dead. These objects give a direct sense of the social ranks that shaped early Japanese society.
The mounds are a short walk from the Hasakura bus stop and fit easily into a visit to the broader area of Zushi and Hayama. The site is outdoors, so sturdy footwear is a good idea, especially when the ground is wet.
These two mounds are the only known examples of this keyhole shape on the Miura Peninsula and rank among the largest of their type found anywhere in Kanagawa Prefecture. The peninsula is today known mostly as a coastal area, which makes finding monuments of this scale here all the more unexpected.
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