Mound - Tsuka

It refers to a pile of earth, but there are also stone mounds built with stones. There are mounds built for various purposes in Japan, but many are used to mark sacred places where people should not set foot. Some are like shell mounds, which are archaeological materials such as shells, stone tools, earthenware, and human bones left by ancient people, but most were built in historical times and each has its own legend. The mounds have various names, and those related to ancient tombs include Maruzuka, Futagozuka, and Kurumazuka, based on their shape. Those related to faith include Kyozuka, Hokkezuka, Koshinzuka, Inarizuka, and Dainichizuka. Kyozuka is also called Nokyozuka, and is where sutras are copied and placed in sutra tubes. Hokkezuka and the following mounds were built as places of worship for gods and Buddhas. There is also Gyoninzuka, which is said to be where a monk was buried alive in the ground and passed away. The same can be said about the Nirvana Tomb.

There are fox mounds in various places that are based on folk beliefs. Many of the fox mounds seen today are near rice fields, and they are thought to be the enslavement of foxes, which are believed to be messengers of the rice field god. There are legends about foxes, such as that they would inform people of good or bad luck, and some fox mounds are said to have been built to enshrine fox spirits. Mounds are usually built individually, but there are also mounds where many mounds are placed side by side. Typical examples are the 13 mounds and the 7 people mound. Although it is not yet clear what the 13 people mound is, it is said that it was built to commemorate a military commander and 13 of his subordinates. There are 13 mounds lined up in a row, and the large one in the middle is said to be that of a military commander. The number 13 is considered a sacred number in Buddhism, such as the 13 Buddhas, but it is not known whether there is any connection to this. However, what is interesting is that overseas in Mongolia, there are 13 mounds called Obos. There is also a legend about the 7 people mound, such as that they were used to bury defeated warriors.

As mentioned above, many mounds have legends attached to them, but some were built for practical reasons such as administrative or economic needs. Typical examples are the Sakaizuka and Ichirizuka. The former were built at old national borders. In some cases, boundary mounds were built on the mountain border between Shinshu (Nagano Prefecture) and Hida (Gifu Prefecture) to prevent conflicts over the collection of forest products, and the god of the border was enshrined there. The latter were built to facilitate traffic on the highway, and were perfected from the Azuchi-Momoyama period through to the Edo period. On the Tokaido, starting from Edo Nihonbashi, mounds were built every ri, and enoki trees or similar were planted on top of them as landmarks.

[Oto Tokihiko]

"Thoughts on the Thirteenth Mound" by Kunio Yanagita and Ichiro Hori (1948, Sanseido)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

土を高く盛り上げたものをいうが、石をもって築いた石塚もある。わが国にはいろいろな目的でつくられた塚があるが、人が足を踏み入れない聖地の標識としたものが多い。古代人が残した貝殻、石器、土器、人骨など考古学上の資料である貝塚のようなものもあるが、多くは歴史時代に入ってつくられたものが多く、それぞれ伝説を伴っている。塚にはいろいろの名称がついており、古墳関係のものでは、その形状から丸塚、双子(ふたご)塚、車塚などがある。信仰関係のものでは経塚、法華(ほっけ)塚、庚申(こうしん)塚、稲荷(いなり)塚、大日(だいにち)塚などがある。経塚は納経塚ともいい、経文を書写して経筒に入れて納めたものである。法華塚以下はそれぞれ神仏の祭地として築いた塚である。ほかに行人(ぎょうにん)塚というのがある。行者が生きながら土中に埋められて往生したという。入定(にゅうじょう)塚というのも同様である。

　民間信仰による塚に狐(きつね)塚というのが各地にある。今日みられる狐塚は多く田んぼの近くにあり、これは田の神の使いとされている狐を祀(まつ)ったものと思われる。狐については吉凶を知らせてくれたなどの伝説があり、狐霊を祀ったという狐塚もある。塚は単独に築かれているのが普通だが、多くの塚を並置したものもある。その代表的なものに十三(じゅうさん)塚、七人(しちにん)塚がある。十三塚についてはまだ確定的なことはわからないが、武将と部下の13人を供養したものという。13の塚が並列してあり、中央の一つの大きい塚が武将のものといわれている。13という数は十三仏などもあり仏教では聖数とされているが、それと関係があるかどうかわからない。ただ興味のあるのは、海外の蒙古(もうこ)（モンゴル）でオボといってやはり13の塚を設けていることである。七人塚についても落武者を葬ったなどの伝説が伝えられている。

　塚には上述のように伝説の付随しているものが多いが、行政・経済など実際上の必要から築いたものがある。その代表的なものに境(さかい)塚、一里(いちり)塚がある。前者は昔の国境(くにざかい)に築かれた。信州（長野県）と飛騨(ひだ)（岐阜県）との山中の境などに林産物採取の争いの起こらないよう境塚を設け、そこに境の神を祀る例もあった。後者は街道交通の便を図ったもので、安土(あづち)・桃山時代から江戸時代に至って完備された。東海道では江戸日本橋を起点として一里ごとに塚を築き、その上に榎(えのき)などを植えて目印とした。

［大藤時彦］

『柳田国男・堀一郎著『十三塚考』（1948・三省堂）』

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