Etafunayama Kofun - Etafunayama Kofun

This keyhole-shaped tumulus is located on a plateau in Seibaru, Eda, Nagomi-cho, Tamana-gun, Kumamoto Prefecture. It was designated a national historic site in June 1951 (Showa 26) along with the surrounding keyhole-shaped tumuli such as Kokunzo and Tsukabozu. The tumulus was originally 61 meters long, 40 meters wide and 6 meters high at the front, and 40 meters in diameter and 7.9 meters high at the rear, but it has since been slightly deformed and reduced in size. Morning glory-shaped cylindrical haniwa and cylindrical haniwa have been excavated from the surrounding ditch, and what appears to be the remains of the tumulus have been found about 80 meters to the northwest, including an armed stone man, a stone bench, and a stone house. A horizontal-entrance house-shaped stone coffin with an entrance facing the gable is buried in the rear of the tumulus, and a passageway lined with cut stones is provided on both sides in front of it. In January 1873 (Meiji 6), over 90 important relics were excavated from within the sarcophagus, and they were designated national treasures in February 1965. Five of the six mirrors are from China's Later Han or Six Dynasties period, while gilt bronze crown hats and crowns, gold earrings with pendants, gilt bronze sandals, and gilt bronze bridle fittings are noteworthy as products of the Silla and Gaya cultures of Korea's Three Kingdoms period, and similar items such as lidded containers and storage jars have also been excavated from the Gaya region. Other items include jewels, gold rings, armor, swords, swords, spears, arrowheads, sword fittings, and belt fittings. One of the swords in particular has an inscription made in silver inlay, and is known as one of the oldest pieces of epigraphy in Japan.

[Otomasu Shigetaka]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

熊本県玉名(たまな)郡和水(なごみ)町江田字清原(せいばる)の台地にある前方後円墳。周囲の虚空蔵(こくんぞう)、塚坊主(つかぼうず)などの前方後円墳とともに1951年（昭和26）6月、国史跡に指定された。古墳は本来全長61メートル、前方部幅約40メートル、同高さ約6メートル、後円部直径40メートル、同高さ約7.9メートルを有したが、いまでは若干変形縮小している。周溝内より朝顔形円筒埴輪(はにわ)や円筒埴輪を出土し、北西方約80メートルに古墳の残骸(ざんがい)らしいものがあり、武装石人、石製腰掛、石製家などが発見されている。後円部には妻入(つまいり)方向に入口を有する横口式家形石棺を埋設し、その前方には両側に切石(きりいし)を立て並べた通路を設ける。1873年（明治6）1月、石棺内より90点以上の重要遺物を出土し、1965年2月国宝に指定された。すなわち、鏡6面のうち5面は中国の後漢(ごかん)ないし六朝(りくちょう)時代の所産で、金銅製冠帽(こんどうせいかんぼう)や冠(かんむり)、金製垂飾(すいしょく)付き耳飾、金銅製沓(くつ)、金銅製轡(くつわ)金具などは朝鮮三国時代の新羅(しらぎ)や伽耶(かや)文化の所産として注目され、蓋坏(ふたつき)や提瓶(さげべ)も類品が伽耶地方から出土している。そのほかにも玉類や金環、甲冑(かっちゅう)、大刀(たち)、剣、鎗(やり)、鏃(やじり)、刀装金具、帯(おび)金具などがあり、なかでも大刀の一つには銀象眼(ぎんぞうがん)の銘文があり、日本最古の金石文の一つとして知られる。

［乙益重隆］

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