Kofun Tombs and Development
– Kofun are burial mounds built for the ruling class in Japan from the 3rd to the 7th centuries.
– The mounds have four basic shapes: round, square, scallop-shell, and keyhole.
– Keyhole tombs are unique to Japan, with a square front and round back.
– Kofun range in size from several meters to over 400 meters long.
– Unglazed pottery figures called Haniwa were often buried around the mounds.
– The oldest kofun in Japan is Hokenoyama Kofun in Sakurai, Nara, dating back to the late 3rd century.
– Keyhole kofun spread from Yamato to other regions during the 4th and 5th centuries.
– The introduction of Buddhism in the 6th century led to the decline of keyhole kofun.
– The last two great kofun are Imashirozuka kofun in Osaka and Iwatoyama kofun in Fukuoka.
– Kofun burial mounds suggest the extent of the Yamato state, including Tanegashima and Yakushima islands.
Yamato Court and Territorial Expansion
– Yamato rule began around 250 AD and lasted until the 4th century.
– Local powers retained autonomy throughout the Kofun period.
– The Yamato court had powerful clans and a central administration.
– Yamato rulers suppressed other clans and acquired agricultural land.
– The Yamato name became synonymous with Japan as they developed a central government.
– The legend of Prince Yamato Takeru alludes to the borders of the Yamato and battlegrounds.
– A frontier was near Izumo Province and another in Kyūshū.
– Kai Province is mentioned as a location where Prince Yamato Takeru traveled.
– The northern frontier is explained in the legend of Shido Shōguns.
– Aizu, near southern Tōhoku, was the northern extent of keyhole-kofun culture.
Ōkimi and Society
– The Kofun period saw the development of an aristocratic society with militaristic rulers.
– The society was most developed in the Kinai and Setouchi regions.
– Japan’s rulers sought recognition from China.
– The period was a critical stage in Japan’s evolution into a cohesive state.
– Japans rulers petitioned the Chinese court for recognition and legitimacy.
– Toraijin refers to people who immigrated to Japan from abroad via the Ryukyu Islands or the Korean Peninsula.
– They introduced significant aspects of Chinese culture to Japan, such as the Chinese writing system and Buddhism from India.
– The Yamato government gave preferential treatment to toraijin.
– According to the 815 book, Shinsen Shōjiroku, 317 of 1,182 clans in the Kinai region of Honshū were considered to have foreign ancestry.
– They may have immigrated to Japan between 356 and 645.
Influential Immigrants and Culture
– Wani, Yuzuki no Kimi, and Achi no Omi were immigrants who had significant influence in Kofun period Japan.
– They were the founders of the Kawachinofumi clan/Kawachinoaya clan, Hata clan, and Yamatonoaya clan, respectively.
– Many immigrants from Baekje and Silla arrived in Japan during Emperor Ōjin’s reign, carrying separate identities and foreign deities.
– The progenitors of Japanese clans settled in Japan beginning in the 4th century.
– Amenohiboko, a legendary prince of Silla, settled in Japan during the 3rd or 4th centuries.
– The Kofun period demonstrated close political and economic contact between Japan and continental Asia.
– Bronze mirrors cast from the same mould have been found on both sides of the Tsushima Strait.
– Immigrants brought irrigation, sericulture, and weaving to Japan.
– The Hata clan introduced sericulture and certain types of weaving.
– The introduction of Buddhism marked the transition from the Kofun to the Asuka period.
Relations with Other East Asian Kingdoms and Genetics
– Chinese records indicate that Silla and Baekje greatly valued relations with the Kofun-period Wa.
– The Book of Song reported that a Chinese emperor appointed the five kings of Wa to supervise military affairs.
– According to Japanese records, Silla was conquered by the Japanese Empress-consort Jingū in the third century.
– Baekje presented stallions, broodmares, and trainers to the Japanese emperor.
– Baekje sent a scholar named Wani who introduced the Chinese writing system to Japan.
– The genetic makeup of modern Japanese can be divided into two major groups: Jomon and Toraijin.
– Toraijin refers to a group of people who entered Japan following the Jomon people.
– The Toraijin were concentrated in specific regions of Japan, such as Kinki, Hokuriku, and Shikoku.
– Coexistence between Jomon people and Toraijin was observed throughout the Yayoi period.
– Differences in genetic composition among prefectures may reflect events during the process of mixed races during the Yayoi period. Source URL:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kofun_period
