kofun

Kofun are ancient Japanese burial mounds built for members of the ruling elite during the Kofun period, roughly from the 3rd through the 7th centuries CE. The term kofun (古墳) simply means "old tomb."

Most kofun consist of an earthen mound enclosing a burial chamber, often protected by stone settings and surrounding moats. They vary in shape; the keyhole-shaped kofun (zenpō-kōen-fun) are the most recognizable and combine a circular and a rectangular section. Other examples are circular (enpun) or square (hōfun).

Many kofun were adorned with haniwa, clay figures placed around the mound or on its slopes, depicting people, houses, animals, warriors, and horses. Haniwa and grave goods such as bronze mirrors, magatama beads, weapons, and pottery illuminate social hierarchy and belief systems of the time.

Geographically, kofun clusters are dense in the Kinai region, especially in the Osaka and Nara areas, reflecting the power base of the Yamato state. Notable kofun include the Daisenryō Kofun, often identified as Emperor Nintoku's tomb, and the Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Scholars date the kofun period from about the 3rd to the 7th centuries, ending with political reforms that transition toward the Asuka period. The kofun landscape provides crucial evidence for early state formation, political authority, and early Japanese funerary practices.