Kitaema Cave Tombs

Kitaema Cave Tombs (北江間横穴群, Kitaema Yokoana-kofun gun) is an archaeological site containing the ruins of a final Kofun period to early Nara period necropolis in what is now part of the city of Izunokuni, Shizuoka, in the Tōkai region of Japan. The site was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1976.[1]

Kitaema Cave Tombs
北江間横穴群
Kitaema Yokoana-kofun
Kitaema Yokoana-kofun
Kitaema Cave Tombs (Japan)
LocationIzunokuni, Shizuoka, Japan
RegionTōkai region
Coordinates35°03′17″N 138°55′13″E
Typegrave
History
PeriodsKofun period
Site notes
OwnershipNational Historic Site

Overview

The site is north of the city center of Izunokuni on the banks of the Kano River. The site consists of ten yokoana kofun horizontal cave tombs with burial chambers excavated into the side of a tuff hill to the west and a second group of more than 40 graves to the east, and includes stone sarcophagus made from hollowed-out stone. The largest of these cave tombs extends 6.5 meters (21 ft) into the hillside, but the average is one to three meters (3 to 10 ft), with a height of approximately one meter (3 ft). The graves indicate a period of transition between burial and cremation.

One grave contained a 1200-year-old stone coffin shaped like a house and inscribed "Wakato-nari", which was presumably the name of the person associated with the tomb. This coffin was designated a National Important Cultural Asset in 1993. The National Historic Site designation was expanded due to additional finds in 1985.

The site is approximately 15 minutes by foot from Izu Hakone Railway's Izu-Nagaoka Station.

See also

References

Media related to Kitaema ancient graves at Wikimedia Commons

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.