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A Concentrated Group of Kofun Built in Various Sizes and Shapes a Virtually Reconstructed Aerial View of the Furuichi Area Chapter 3

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A Concentrated Group of Kofun Built in Various Sizes and Shapes a Virtually Reconstructed Aerial View of the Furuichi Area Chapter 3 A concentrated group of kofun built in various sizes and shapes A virtually reconstructed aerial view of the Furuichi area Chapter 3 Justification for Inscription 3.1.a Brief Synthesis 3.1.b Criteria under Which Inscription is Proposed 3.1.c Statement of Integrity 3.1.d Statement of Authenticity 3.1.e Protection and Management Requirements 3.2 Comparative Analysis 3.3 Proposed Statement of Outstanding Universal Value 3.1.a Brief Synthesis ３．Justification for Inscription 3.1.a Brief Synthesis The property “Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group” is a tomb group of the king’s clan and the clan’s affiliates that ruled the ancient Japanese archipelago and took charge of diplomacy with contemporary East Asian powers. The tombs were constructed between the late 4th century and the late 5th century, which was the peak of the Kofun period, characterized by construction of distinctive mounded tombs called kofun. A set of 49 kofun in 45 component parts is located on a plateau overlooking the bay which was the maritime gateway to the continent, in the southern part of the Osaka Plain which was one of the important political cultural centers. The property includes many tombs with plans in the shape of a keyhole, a feature unique in the world, on an extraordinary scale of civil engineering work in terms of world-wide constructions; among these tombs several measure as much as 500 meters in mound length. They form a group, along with smaller tombs that are differentiated by their various sizes and shapes. In contrast to the type of burial mound commonly found in many parts of the world, which is an earth or piled- stone mound forming a simple covering over a coffin or a burial chamber, kofun are architectural achievements with geometrically elaborate designs created as a stage for funerary rituals, decorated with haniwa clay figures. During this period, political turmoil in China triggered a change in the regional power dynamic throughout East Asia, thereby prompting the emergence of kingly powers in numerous parts of the region. While these various kingly powers built their tombs in their own styles, the mounded tombs on the Japanese archipelago developed a unique appearance as monumental forms rising above the ground. The significant size differences, variety of mound shapes, and arrangement of the concentrated kofun observed in the nominated property visually demonstrate the hierarchical power structure of the kingly authority of the time. The funerary rituals practiced at kofun throughout the archipelago were instrumental in confirming and strengthening the succession of power, as well as in connecting the central and local powers. With the mounds possessing such high social significance, grandeur and structural beauty were pursued in kofun construction, showing a dedication which resulted in kofun becoming exceptional technical achievements of earthen construction. The fact that they still retain their exceptional form and character today, 1600 years since the time of construction, shows how advanced their technical level was. The nominated property bears outstanding witness to the history of the people of the Japanese archipelago, characterized by the expression of power through the formation of mounded tombs, which was a phenomenon that occurred as a response to the political turmoil in East Asia before Japanese society entered into a new phase of history with an established centralized state under the influence of the Chinese system of law. Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group 165 Chapter 3. Justification for Inscription Earthen constructions with distinctive appearances The nominated property is a set of mounded tombs – kofun – grouped together with distinctive appearances unique among the mounded tombs of the world. While burial mounds were constructed in many parts of the world, those belonging to the same kingly polity usually all have the same shape. However, the mounded tombs of the Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group were built in four distinct mound shapes: keyhole, scallop, round and square. In addition, the size of the mounds varies greatly. In terms of mound length, they range from extraordinarily grand-scale tombs, such as the Nintoku-tenno-ryo Kofun (486 m long), to small examples measuring some 20 m long. In terms of volume, the difference is all the more striking: the largest tombs, such as the Ojin-tenno-ryo Kofun (approx. 1,430,000 m3) and the Nintoku-tenno-ryo Kofun (approx. 1,400,000 m3), are approximately 2,800 times as voluminous as the smallest tomb in the group. Furthermore, the mound shape and scale have a certain correlation: large tombs are all of keyhole shape, whereas smaller ones are of scallop shape, round or square. While mound size varies significantly, the component tombs come in certain standardized shapes and share a common structure. Although the mounds today look like hilly forests, underneath the current land surface there are complex and elaborate earthen architectural constructions. They have symmetrical, geometrical structures, composed of circles, triangles and squares, as well as horizontal surfaces (terraces) and sloping sides built at standardized angles. The construction of each kofun was made possible by sophisticated design and construction techniques (e.g., for piling up earth for the mound). In addition to the structural beauty of the mounds themselves, decorative elements such as fukiishi (paving stones) and haniwa (clay figures) covering the surface of the mounds are another major feature of kofun. Furthermore, the burial facility, which fulfills the main function of the tomb, is located in a pit dug into the top of the mound after its construction had almost been completed. Judging from these features, kofun mounds are believed to have been designed as stages for executing burial and other funerary rituals. This differs significantly from the purpose of many of the burial mounds found in other parts of the world, in which the burial facilities were made first, with stones or soil piled on top as a covering. As described above, kofun are mounded tombs characterized by the following features: the external surface served as a stage for funerary rituals; they were built in several shapes and display an extremely wide range of sizes; and their structure follows standard plan-types. With a high concentration of such tombs, the Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group is genuinely outstanding even from a global perspective. 166 3.1.a Brief Synthesis The burial facility dug into the top of the mound The mound surface adorned with (Tsudo-shiroyama Kofun) haniwa and other decorations as a stage for funerary rituals Tombs of the four standard shapes in various sizes build close together Construction technology behind these complex Elaborate three-dimensional engineering and symmetrical earthen structures of a complex, geometric mound Figure 3-1 Earthen constructions with distinctive appearances Earthen structures with a highly distinctive appearance Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group 167 Chapter 3. Justification for Inscription A kofun group as a monumental expression demonstrating the socio- political structure of the ancient kingly power The Kofun period, during which the nominated property was constructed, is considered to have witnessed the establishment of a political hegemony across the Japanese archipelago for the first time in its history. In other words, this period saw the formation of an ancient kingly power. This took place against a backdrop of changing power dynamics throughout East Asia triggered by political turmoil in China. A total of more than 160,000 mounded tombs distributed across the archipelago are presumed to be testimony to the sphere of influence of the kingly power, which consolidated the various local forces. It is generally understood that kofun were the tombs of the elite class of the time and that the shape and size of the tomb mound inferred the hierarchical social position of the buried individual. The Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group, specifically, has a number of the largest tombs in the archipelago; these are believed to be the tombs of successive kings, the paramount elites of ancient Japan, as well as of the lower-ranking elites. Moreover, the diverse kofun group structure comprising not only giant keyhole-shaped tombs but also mid- to small-sized keyhole-shaped tombs and smaller scallop-shaped, round and square tombs built close together is interpreted as representing the structure of the central kingly power. Kofun, including those with the distinctive keyhole shape, are found across a wide area stretching approximately 1,200 km from the northeast to southwest of the Japanese archipelago. This is the geographical extent to which this unique culture of expressing social positions through mounded tombs was shared. In particular, during the height of the Kofun period, the largest tombs were built exclusively and successively in the Mozu-Furuichi area. Moreover, continuous construction of giant keyhole-shaped tombs in this area prompted further technical development in their construction, which situated this kofun group as a mortuary innovator; such new technology was then transmitted and adopted in the construction of kofun in other parts of the archipelago, with the new kofun developments serving as models. It is thought that these mortuary elements, including the burial facilities and haniwa sculptures, were all developed in the Mozu-Furuichi area and came to influence local mounded tomb building. What is interesting about this period, in which a writing system had not yet been adopted, is that while no archaeological evidence of palaces or fortresses has been found, an enormous amount of energy was devoted to the construction of mounded tombs. The tombs would therefore seem to be a medium to showcase the scale of the power of each entombed individual, as well as the differences between them. After the Kofun period, the society of the 168 3.1.a Brief Synthesis Japanese archipelago gradually made a significant advancement toward the establishment of an ancient centralized administrative framework influenced by the Chinese legal system.
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