Shiroishi Inariyama Kofun
The is a Kofun period burial mound located in the Shiroishi neighborhood of the city of Fujioka, Gunma Prefecture in the northern Kantō region of Japan. It was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1993.It is one of several "kofun" in the Shiroishi Kofun cluster. The National Historic designation was expanded in the year 2009 to cover two nearby "kofun": the and the . Overview. The Shiroishi Inariyama Kofun tumulus is located on hilly terrain 1.5 km south of the confluence of the Aburagawa and Ayugawa rivers at an elevation of 120 meters, and is one  of a cluster of "kofun" tumuli in the area. It is a , which is shaped like a keyhole, having one square end and one circular end, when viewed from above with a total length of 155 meters and was built in three tiers, partially by cutting away natural hills to the north and south, and utilizing a natural valley to the east and cliff to the west. The first and second tiers were originally covered in "fukiishi" with rows of cylindrical and cone-shaped "haniwa" encircled the posterior circular portion of the mound. It is unknown if the tumulus had  a moat. Preliminary investigations were conducted in 1933 and a new archaeological excavation was conducted from 1985 to 1986. In the 1933 excavation, two burial chambers in the posterior circular portion of the tumulus were found and opened and a number of grave goods were recovered, including two unique two stone pillows. Other grave goods included a large number of stone imitations of various everyday items, bronze mirrors, iron weapons, "magatama" and round beads were excavated. These items and also "haniwa" in the shape of houses are now stored at the Tokyo National Museum. A ground penetrating radar survey was  performed by the Gunma Prefectural Museum of History and Waseda University from April 2018 to May 2019. The survey found that the tumulus length, which was thought to be 140 meters, was actually 155 meters, and the tumulus was re-dated to at least the beginning of the 5th century AD. In addition, the presence of a third burial chamber within the anterior rectangular portion of the tumulus was found. Shiroishi Inariyama Kofun Junitenzuka Kofun Junitenkitazuka Kofun The tumuli are located about 20 minutes by car from Gunma-Fujioka Station on the JR East Hachikō Line. Shiroishi Inariyama Kofun The