Sakurai Kofun

Sakurai Kofun (桜井古墳, Sakurai kofun) is the largest of a group of keyhole-shaped kofun burial mounds located in what is now the city of Minamisōma, in Fukushima Prefecture in the southern Tōhoku region of northern Japan. It has been protected by the central government as a National Historic Site since 1956.[1]

Sakurai Kofun

桜井古墳
Sakurai Kofun Show map of Fukushima Prefecture Sakurai Kofun (Japan) Show map of Japan
Location	Minamisoma, Fukushima, Japan
Region	Tōhoku region
Coordinates	37°38′29″N 140°59′29″E
Altitude	30 m (98 ft)
Type	kofun
History
Founded	4th to 5th century AD
Site notes
Excavation dates	1955
Ownership	National Historic Site
Public access	Yes

The kofun is located northeast of Haranomachi Station, on a low plateau approximately 10 meters in elevation above the southern bank of the Nitagawa River. It is part of a cluster of 37 tombs, both large and small, spread over a 900 meter section of the same river terrace, of which twelve survive. The kofun drew much attention when first excavated by a team from Meiji University in 1955 as it was the largest kofun then known in the Tōkohu region. Subsequently, larger kofun have been found, but the Sakurai Kofun remains the fourth largest in the region. The survey found that the shaft of the tomb had a length of 74.5 meters and height of 6.8 meters. The central part of the tomb is not circular, but is an earthen step pyramid 45 meters on each side, with a height of 6.35 meters.