Korean Peninsula and Japanese Islands: Forming Features and Borrowing Cultural Traditions during the Paleometall Epoch (Materials for Educational Course “Archaeology of Foreign Asia”)
Authors: Gnezdilova Irina , Nesterkina Anastasiya , Solovieva Elena , Soloviev Aleksander 
Published: May 2019

Purpose. The period of the most intensive contacts of the ancient population of the Korean peninsula and the Japanese Islands (3rd – 7th centuries AD) is of special interest for study. The period witnessed a wide spread of the tradition of building burial mounds (kurgans). Due to the artifacts found in the kurgans, it becomes possible to study various aspects of the people’s social life, including cultural contacts. We aimed at studying territorial alliances based on the cultural and historical background, such as the spread of agriculture based on wet rice cultivation, bronze and iron production, the emergence of states.
Results. The kurgan tradition on the Korean peninsula is associated with the era of the Three Kingdoms (3rd – 7th centuries AD). The tradition of erecting mounds started in Koguryo state in the 1st century BC, then from the 3rd century AD it continued in Baekje, Silla and Kaya, and disappeared in the middle of the 6th century AD because of adopting Buddhism. Common barrows had stone embankments, but they are also found with earthen mounds. Burial chambers were first constructed vertically, then horizontal ones appeared. On the Japanese Islands, kurgans first appeared during the Yayoi period (3rd century BC – 3rd century AD) and were widely constructed during the Kofun period (3rd – 7th centuries AD). The barrows had earthen embankments with burial chambers inside. The barrows differed in the form of their embankment and size. The burials of the Kofun period in Japan continued the Yayoi period traditions to a certain extent. They had earthen embankments and were decorated with bronze mirrors and stone ornaments in the burial chambers. In addition, their feature is clay haniva figurines around the perimeter of the embankment. Starting from approximately the 5th century AD, there began to appear a certain homogeneity in the funerary structures of the Korean peninsula and the Japanese archipelago. Sueci ceramics became a typical element of the funeral rite, as well as bronze and iron objects, gold jewelry and luxury items which appeared in burial chambers. The construction of kurgans acquired some new features, such as stone chambers with side corridors. Both on the Korean Peninsula and the Japanese Islands, we observe similar types of embankments, such as round (embun), square (ho:fun), double round (so:embun), double square (so:ho:fun) and in the form of a “Japanese sea scallop” (hatategaishikikofun).
Conclusion. The study of the structural features of the kurgans on the Korean Peninsula and the Japanese Islands allows us to conclude that there are similarities in the forms and materials of embankments and the forms of burial chamber construction. The main difference is the larger size of Japanese kurgans. The similarities we revealed can be explained by the mutual influence of the population of the Korean peninsula and the Japanese islands.