Goshikizuka Tomb - Goshikizuka Tomb

This is an early kofun (tumulus) located in Goshikiyama 4-chome, Tarumi-ku, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture. It is the largest keyhole-shaped tumulus in Hyogo Prefecture, built on the edge of a plateau facing the Seto Inland Sea, and from its top you can see Awaji Island across the Akashi Strait. The tumulus is 194 meters long, with a diameter of 125 meters at the rear, 18 meters high, and 81 meters wide at the front. The mound is built in three tiers, with roofing stones covering the entire slope, with larger stones used on the upper and middle tiers and smaller stones used on the lower tier, and is estimated to contain a total of approximately 2.23 million stones, weighing approximately 2,750 tons. From a geological perspective, the stones in the lower section are believed to be from nearby riverbanks and the coast, while the stones in the upper and middle sections are thought to be from Awaji Island, which is related to an article in the "Nihon Shoki" (Chronicles of Japan) for February, the first year of the reign of Empress Jingu as regency, which states that stones were transported from Awaji Island to build the tumulus. Furthermore, the top of the mound and the upper and middle terraces are surrounded by clay figures such as cylinders and lids. The burial facility is unknown. Restoration and maintenance work on the mound was completed in 1975 (Showa 50), and it has been restored to its original appearance. In 1921 (Taisho 10), it was designated a national historic site.

[Mochizuki Mikio]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

兵庫県神戸市垂水(たるみ)区五色山四丁目にある前期古墳。瀬戸内海に面した台地の端に築かれた兵庫県下最大の前方後円墳で、墳頂からは明石(あかし)海峡を隔てて淡路島を望むことができる。古墳の規模は全長194メートル、後円部径125メートル、高さ18メートル、前方部幅81メートルである。墳丘は三段築成で、斜面には全面に葺石(ふきいし)があり、上段と中段は大きめの石、下段は小さめの石が使われており、総数約223万個、総重量約2750トンと推定されている。地質学的にみると、下段の石は近くの河原や海岸のものであるが、上・中段の石は淡路島のものであるらしく、『日本書紀』神功(じんぐう)皇后摂政(せっしょう)元年2月条の、淡路島から石を運んで古墳をつくったという記事との関連が注目される。また、墳頂部、上・中段テラスには円筒、蓋(きぬがさ)などの埴輪(はにわ)が巡らされている。埋葬施設は不明。1975年（昭和50）に墳丘の復原整備工事が完成し、築造当初の姿が再現されている。1921年（大正10）国の史跡に指定された。

［望月幹夫］

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