Matsuoka Kofun Cluster
The is a group "kofun" burial mounds located in what is now part of the town of Eiheiji, Fukui in the Hokuriku region of Japan. The site was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1977 in the case of the Tegurigajoyama Kofun, the largest of the group. Protection was extended to the remainder of the group in July 2005. Overview. The "kofun" group is located on a hillside with an elevation of 160 meters, overlooking the Kuzuryū River and the Echizen Plain. The cluster consists of about 150 tumuli, which are a mixture of square  tumuli, circular tumuli, and keyhole-shaped tumuli. Among these tumuli, the four large keyhole-shape tumuli, (, which are shaped like a keyhole, having one square end and one circular end, when viewed from above), which are estimated to date from the mid 4th to the late 5th century AD are covered under the National Historic Site designation. The tombs do not appear in any historical records and the name of rank of the persons buried within are unknown, although per local legend, these were the graves of the "Kings of Koshi" (越の国), the pre-Yamato dynasty state which controlled present -day Fukui, Ishikawa, Toyama and Niigata Prefectures. Emperor Keitai ((reigned 507 – 531 AD)) is said in some semi-legendary historical records to have originally been the King of Koshi, and therefore that the "kofun" in this area are the tombs for members of his clan. It is about a 20-minute walk from Shiizakai Station on the Echizen Railway Katsuyama Eiheiji Line to the Tegurigajoyama Kofun. The kofun. is the largest of the four tumuli, with a total length of 128.4 meters, making it is the second largest found in the Hokuriku region of Japan after the Rokuroseiyama Kofun. The  circular portion is 78 meters in diameter and 19.7 meters high; the rectangular portion is in two tiers, with a length of 50.4 meters, width of 56.5 meters and a height of 15.2 meters. The tumulus is orientated to the northeast. It has a peculiar morphology in which the front part is extremely widened like a drumstick. Large numbers of "fukiishi" and cylindrical "haniwa" were found in the area. The details of the interior are unknown as the "kofun" has not been excavated; however, ground-penetrating radar has confirmed that a stone-lined burial chamber exists near the apex of  the posterior circle. The tumulus was dated to the middle of the fourth century AD. External links. Category:Kofun Category:History of Fukui Prefecture Category:Eiheiji, Fukui Category:Historic Sites of Japan Category:Echizen Province