Exhibition at Sakai City Museum Focuses on the Age of the “Kofun,” Japan’s Huge Ancient Burial Mounds

A special exhibition is underway at the Sakai City Museum in Osaka Prefecture focusing on the age of the kofun, Japan’s ancient burial mounds. The museum is close to Daisen Kofun, considered to be the tomb of Emperor Nintoku (traditional reign dates 313–99), which is one of the central sites of the Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group, a set of burial mounds that has been approved for inscription on UNESCO’s World Heritage list. 

The exhibition attempts to present the characteristics of Japan’s Kofun period (third through sixth centuries), when tremendous effort went into the construction of huge burial mounds. The displays include clay funerary figures called haniwa, armor, and other excavated items. These complement items relating to this period that are part of the museum’s permanent exhibition, including a model of a massive stone coffin. The special exhibition will continue through September 23.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd. Translated by Nippon.com.]