Cultural assets

Maruyamazuka Tumulus

Monuments (historical sites) / Wakasa / 【Collective term of cultural properties】Kaminaka ancient burial mounds

Maruyamazuka Tumulus was one of many ancient burial mounds (kofun) found in the Wakasa region. It was located near the south bank of the Kita River in the Tentokuji area. The mid-sixth-century structure measured about 50 meters across and was the last large-scale, round tumulus built in the area. Like many other mounds in the region, Maruyamazuka Tumulus may have once been covered in stones and ceremonial clay objects called haniwa, but these items could not be confirmed. Some structural and aesthetic differences from the other mounds in the region suggest there may have been some social changes during the time the tumulus was built.

Excavations of the Maruyamazuka Tumulus site revealed an 11-meter passageway that led to a 6-meter-long burial chamber. The chamber is estimated to be the largest one in Hokuriku, the region along the Sea of Japan coast which includes Fukui Prefecture. The inner walls of the chamber were not painted with red pigment, unlike many other burial chambers in the region.

Although the tumulus suffered extensive damage from grave robbers in the past, a variety of valuable grave goods were discovered within the inner chamber. A bronze mirror from mainland Asia embellished with divine beasts from Chinese mythology was found wrapped in a cloth-like material and specially placed near the center of the back wall of the chamber. Ceremonial swords featuring ring-shaped metal ornaments on the grip and embellished with double dragon and three-leaf motifs were also found, along with intricate metal decorations intended to adorn the horses of warriors.

In addition to metal grave goods, pieces of Sue ware, a kind of ancient pottery known to be used in funerary rites, were also discovered in the chamber. Techniques for making these ceramics, which were fired at high temperatures and valued for their water retention, were originally transmitted from the Korean peninsula.

Fragments of horse bones found amongst the other grave goods suggested yet another cultural tie to sixth century mainland Asia. It was tradition in the Korean Peninsula at the time to bury a military leader’s horse with him when he died as a funerary offering, so the bones found in Maruyamazuka Tumulus may have been the result of a similar practice. Their presence also helps pinpoint the period in which the tumulus was constructed. As Emperor Kotoku (596–654) prohibited the sacrificing people or animals as funerary offerings, the Maruyamazuka Tumulus was likely built before these reforms came into effect in the mid-six century.

During a great flood in 1953, soil from the mound was used to build emergency floodbanks. The original tumulus no longer remains, but an engraved site marker is set atop a mound made with large stones from the original burial chamber. The area is designated a Historical Site by the town of Wakasa.

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Japan Heritage Utilization Promotion Council of Obama City and Wakasa townFukui Prefecture, Obama City, Wakasa town

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