Nara Pref. Square-fronted mound IHA imperial tomb

Niiyama Kofun

LocationNara Pref.
ShapeSquare-fronted mound
Mound length126 m
PeriodEarly 4th c.
IHA designationIHA-managed (no public entry)

Overview

126m mound in Kawai Town, a major mound in the southern Umagami group.Located in the southern Umagami group. Yields of bronze mirrors, swords, and jewels document the Yamato polity's practice of gifting mirrors to regional chiefs. The surrounding area—including the nearby Shimanoyama Kofun (200m)—attests to the prosperity of the Umagami region in antiquity.

Finds & research

Artifacts recovered in 1885 when a vertical-shaft stone chamber was accidentally exposed. No further excavation as an IHA reference site. Finds: 34 bronze mirrors (9 triangular-rimmed deity-beast mirrors, 3 diagonal-arc-pattern mirrors, inner-flower-pattern mirrors, and others) and gilt-bronze belt fittings. The 34-mirror total ranks alongside Sakurai Chausuyama (84) and Kurozuka (34) among Japan's highest single-site mirror finds. Same-mould counterparts confirmed from Kyushu to Tohoku. Preserved and exhibited at the Tokyo National Museum and the National Museum of Japanese History.

Two views on the occupant

Archaeological view
Occupant unknown. Bronze mirrors, swords, and jewels excavated. An early-4th-century mound in the southern Umagami group.
Imperial Household Agency view
Managed by the IHA as the "Otsuka Mausoleum Reference Site" (candidate occupant: Emperor Buretsu).
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Sources

Wikipedia橿原市教育委員会奈良県立橿原考古学研究所奈良県立図書情報館

Related kofun

Hashihaka Kofun (280m) Nishitonozuka Kofun (230m) Higashitonozuka Kofun (139m) Andonzan Kofun (242m) Shibuyamukaiyama Kofun (300m) Kurozuka Kofun (130m)
← Otomeyama Kofun Mise Maruyama Kofun →