Fujinoki Kofun, Burial mound in Ikaruga, Japan
Fujinoki Kofun is a circular burial mound in Ikaruga measuring roughly 40 meters across and rising nearly 8 meters high. The stone burial chambers inside are accessed through a lateral entrance that leads into the hillside.
This burial mound was built in the late 6th century and contains two stone coffins holding the remains of two men of high rank. Later excavations beginning in 1985 uncovered numerous objects, including gilded bronze fittings for horses and ceremonial weapons.
The name comes from the nearby Fujinoki valley, where this burial mound has been part of the local landscape for centuries. Visitors recognize the site today by its rounded shape and the visible slabs of pale tuff stone, which together with red cinnabar pigment decorate the tomb interior.
The site lies roughly 350 meters west of Horyu-ji Temple and can be reached by a short walk. At the nearby Archaeological Research Institute, visitors can view replicas of the finds and a three-dimensional model of the structure.
The discovered gilded bronze fittings for horses show close craft connections to the Korean peninsula during the late Kofun period. Some decorative objects bear traces of a special manufacturing technique that was still rare in Japan at that time.
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