Furuichi Kofun Cluster

Furuichi kofungun
Kondagobyōyama Kofun. This is the largest in the group.
Details
Location	Habikino, Fujiidera, Osaka Prefecture, Japan
Coordinates	34°33′46″N 135°36′33″E / 34.56278°N 135.60917°E / 34.56278; 135.60917
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group: Mounded Tombs of Ancient Japan
Criteria	Cultural: (iii), (iv)
Designated	2019 (43rd session)
Reference no.	1593
Region	Eastern Asia
National Historic Site of Japan

Furuichi kofungun (古市古墳群) is a group of Kofun period burial mounds located in the cities of Fujiidera and Habikino, Osaka Prefecture, Japan.^[1] Twelve of the tumuli in this group were individually designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1956, with an additional 14 collectively added to the designation in 2001, and the area under protection expanded in 2018.^[2][3]

The Furuichi Kofun Cluster extends over an area of 2.5 kilometers north-to-south by four kilometers east-to-west, covering plateaus and hill with an average elevation of 24 meters above sea level. These tumuli were built between the late 4th and the mid-sixth century AD. Twenty-seven, including many of the larger tumuli, are under the control of the Imperial Household Agency and are classified as "imperial tombs", for which archaeological excavation has been prohibited.

In 2010 the Furuichi kofungun cluster of tumuli, along with those of Mozu kofungun, were proposed for inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List.^[4] On 6 July 2019, Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site under Criteria: (iii), (iv).^[5]

After the Ichinoyama Kofun, the era of grand tomb groups began to decline. Though a few large tombs were still erected, like the Okamisanzai Kofun [ja], the frequency and size began to diminish. The Kawachi Otsukayama Kofun is an outlier, situated between the Mozu and Furuichi Kofun Groups, was built, measuring a staggering 355 meters in length. Its construction during this period remains a mystery, calling for further research and analysis.^[6]

As the Furuichi Kofun Group progressed past its prime, the center of tomb construction transitioned to locations such as Shinagadani (also referred to as Kawachi-Asuka), near present-day Taishi Town. The primary locus for tombs in the Kawachi region shifted from Mozu and Furuichi to areas like Shinaga.^[6]

• zenpō-kōen-fun (前方後円墳) ("keyhole-shaped) : formerly 31, 26 survive
• empun (円墳) ("circular"): formerly 30, 5 survive
• hōfun (方墳) ("square"): formerly 48, 22 survive
• indeterminate: formerly 14, 34 survive

Total: formerly 123, 87 survive

• 
  Kondagobyoyama Kofun
• 
  Hakayama Kofun
• 
  Okamisanzai Kofun [ja]
• 
  Karusato Otsuka Kofun

The Mozu kofungun is located about 10 kilometers to the west. It can be said that it was. The Furuichi Kofun group is seven to fifteen minutes on foot from Domyoji Station or Furuichi Station on the Kintetsu Railway.^[3]

• Kofun
• Mozu kofungun
• List of Historic Sites of Japan (Osaka)
• List of National Treasures of Japan (archaeological materials)
• Buried Cultural Properties
• World Heritage Sites in Japan

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Furuichi Kofun Group.

• (in English) Entry on UNESCO World Heritage tentative list