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{{short description|Period of Japanese history from 300 to 538}}
{{sync|History of Japan#Yamato period}}
{{History of Japan |periods|image=NintokuTomb Aerial photograph 2007.jpg|caption=[[Daisen Kofun|Daisen-Kofun]], the tomb of [[Emperor Nintoku]] in [[Osaka]], one of [[Mozu kofungun]]}}
{{History_of_Japan}}
The {{nihongo|'''Kofun period'''|古墳時代|''Kofun-jidai''}} is an era in the history of [[Japan]] from around 250 to 538. The word ''kofun'' is Japanese for the type of [[tumulus|burial mound]]s dating from this era. The Kofun period follows the [[Yayoi period]]. The Kofun and the subsequent [[Asuka period]]s are sometimes referred to collectively as the [[Yamato period]].


Generally, the Kofun period is divided from the [[Asuka period]] for its cultural differences. The Kofun period is illustrated by an animistic culture which existed prior to the introduction of Buddhism. Politically, the establishment of the [[Yamato court]], and its expansion as allied states from [[Kyūshū]] to the [[Kanto|Kantō]] are key factors in defining the period. Also, the Kofun period is the oldest era of recorded history in Japan. However, as the chronology of the historical sources are very much distorted, studies of this age require deliberate criticism and the aid of archaeology.
The {{nihongo|'''Kofun period'''|古墳時代|Kofun jidai}} is an era in the [[history of Japan]] from about 300 to 538 AD (the date of the introduction of [[Buddhism]]), following the [[Yayoi period]]. The Kofun and the subsequent [[Asuka period]]s are sometimes collectively called the [[Yamato period]]. This period is the earliest era of [[recorded history]] in Japan, but studies depend heavily on archaeology since the chronology of historical sources tends to be distorted. The word ''[[kofun]]'' is Japanese for the type of [[tumulus|burial mound]] dating from this era.


It was a period of cultural import. Continuing from the Yayoi period, the Kofun period is characterized by influence from [[China]] and the [[Korean Peninsula]]; archaeologists consider it a shared culture across the southern Korean Peninsula, [[Kyūshū]] and [[Honshū]].<ref>Barnes, Gina L. The Archaeology of East Asia: The Rise of Civilization in China, Korea and Japan (Oxford: Oxbow books, 2015), 271-275; 331-360</ref> On the other hand, the most prosperous keyhole-shaped burial mounds in Japan during this period were approximately 5,000 in Japan from the middle of the 3rd century in the Yayoi period to the 7th century in the Asuka period, and many of them had huge tombs,<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://ci.nii.ac.jp/naid/120005836992/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220208011845/https://ci.nii.ac.jp/naid/120005836992/|title=A consideration of reconstructing our image of the Kofun period: does the period of keyhole tombs predate the Ritsuryo state?|author=Kazuo Hirose|journal=国立歴史民俗博物館研究報告 = Bulletin of the National Museum of Japanese History |publisher=[[Bulletin of the National Museum of Japanese History]]|date=March 2009|volume=150 |doi=10.15024/00001685 |archive-date=8 February 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|author=Kazuo Yanagisawa|year=2007|chapter=前方後円墳|title=東アジア考古学辞典|publisher=Tokyodo Shuppan|isbn=978-4490107128}}</ref> but in the southern Korean Peninsula there were only 13 from the 5th century to the 6th century, and the tombs were small. Wall decorations and Japanese-style armor, which are characteristic of older Japanese burial mounds, were excavated from 5th century burial mounds in the southern Korean Peninsula. This shows that Japan and the southern Korean Peninsula influenced each other.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://rekihaku.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=repository_action_common_download&item_id=2422&item_no=1&attribute_id=22&file_no=1|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220404051242/https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache%3APN5bUQ1G2VAJ%3Ahttps%3A%2F%2Ffly.jiuhuashan.beauty%3A443%2Fhttps%2Frekihaku.repo.nii.ac.jp%2F%3Faction%3Drepository_action_common_download%26item_id%3D2422%26item_no%3D1%26attribute_id%3D22%26file_no%3D1+&cd=9&hl=ja&ct=clnk&gl=jp|title=An Analysis of the Background of Japanese-style Tombs Builtin the Southwestern Korean Peninsula in the Fifth and Sixth Centuries|author=Kanta Takata|publisher=[[Bulletin of the National Museum of Japanese History]]|url-status=live|archive-date=4 April 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://kiu.repo.nii.ac.jp/index.php?action=pages_view_main&active_action=repository_action_common_download&item_id=262&item_no=1&attribute_id=18&file_no=1&page_id=25&block_id=33|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220404081032/https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:2nPSNI6g2cgJ:https://kiu.repo.nii.ac.jp/index.php%3Faction%3Dpages_view_main%26active_action%3Drepository_action_common_download%26item_id%3D262%26item_no%3D1%26attribute_id%3D18%26file_no%3D1%26page_id%3D25%26block_id%3D33+&cd=10&hl=ja&ct=clnk&gl=jp|script-title=ja:朝鮮半島南部に倭人が造った前方後円墳 : 古代九州との国際交流|author=Park Cheon-Soo|date=March 2010|archive-date=4 April 2022}}</ref>
A unified [[Yamato Province|Yamato]] state may have coincided with large migration of Korea's [[Baekje]] people at the end of the fourth century. [http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0521223547&id=tZCsr49JQJgC&pg=PA455&lpg=PA455&dq=egami+horse-rider+theory&sig=2iBmNrCBe90AopTlP1tpKE6CPp4] The archaeological record, and ancient Chinese sources, indicate that the various tribes and chiefdoms of Japan did not begin to coalesce into states until 300, when large tombs began to appear while there were no contacts between western Japan and China. Some describe the "mysterious century" as a time of internecine warfare as various chiefdoms competed for hegemony on Kyushū and Honshū.<ref>{{cite book| url=http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&vid=ISBN0824820304&id=dCNioYQ1HfsC&pg=PA7&lpg=PA7&dq=kofun+tumuli+korea&vq=korea+kofun&sig=YUcKBcOAukHzM-pfzp-uUTug8GY| title=Sacred Texts and Buried Treasures: Issues on the Historical Archaeology of Ancient Japan| first=William Wayne| last=Farris| id=ISBN 0-8248-2030-4| publisher=University of Hawaii Press| pages=7}}</ref> Most scholars believe that there were massive transmissions of technology and culture from Korea to Japan which is evidenced by material artifacts in tombs of both states in the [[Proto-Three Kingdoms of Korea]] and [[Kofun]] eras, and the later wave of Baekje immigrants to Yamato. This view was popularized in Japan by [[Egami Namio]]'s theory of a powerful horse-riding race from the north who brought about the dramatic change from Jomon to [[Yayoi]] culture, [http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN9004105166&id=WSoj5nVrpR0C&pg=PA4&lpg=PA4&dq=egami+horse-rider+theory&sig=GugyMe7kX03n1DXaW63vdousuRo] a revised version of which was advanced by [[Gari Ledyard]] [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0095-6848(198322)9%3A2%3C265%3AEAPITF%3E2.0.CO%3B2-V]

According to the ''[[Nihon Shoki]]'', [[Buddhism]] and the [[Chinese characters|Chinese writing system]] were introduced near the end of the period from [[Baekje]]. The Kofun period recorded Japan's earliest political centralization, when the [[Yamato no Fuhito clan|Yamato clan]] rose to power in southwestern Japan, established the [[Imperial House of Japan|Imperial House]], and helped control trade routes across the region.<ref name=":0">Denoon, Donald ''et al.'' (2001). {{Google books|XUw6kiX9LQ0C|''Multicultural Japan: Palaeolithic to Postmodern,'' p. 107.|page=107}}</ref>


==Kofun tombs==
==Kofun tombs==
[[Image:NintokuTomb.jpg|thumb|left|Daisenryo Kofun, the tomb of [[Emperor Nintoku]], [[Osaka Prefecture|Osaka]], 5th century.]]
[[File:CG 360d Nakatsuyama kofun BW.gif|thumb|alt=Animated kofun|Keyhole-shaped kofun drawn in [[3DCG]] ({{ill|Nakatsuyama Kofun|ja|仲ツ山古墳}} in [[Fujiidera, Osaka]], 5th century)]]
[[File:KofunTombJewelry.jpg|thumb|alt=Brown jewelry against a light background|Kofun-period jewelry ([[British Museum]])]]
''Kofun'' (古墳, "old tomb") are defined as the burial mounds built for the people of the ruling class during the 4th to 7th centuries in Japan. The Kofun period takes its name from these distinctive earthen mounds which are associated with the rich funerary rituals of the time. The mounds contained large stone burial chambers. Some are surrounded by [[moat]]s.
Kofun (from [[Middle Chinese]] ''kú'' 古 "ancient" + ''bjun'' 墳 "burial mound")<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://jisho.org/search/%23kanji%20%E5%8F%A4|title=古|website=Jisho.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://jisho.org/search/%E5%A2%B3%20%23kanji|title=墳|website=Jisho.org}}</ref> are burial mounds built for members of the ruling class from the 3rd to the 7th centuries in Japan,<ref name="keally">{{cite web|url=http://www.t-net.ne.jp/~keally/kofun.html|title=Kofun Culture|first=Charles T.|last=Keally|date=2009-04-29|access-date=2009-05-30}}</ref> and the Kofun period takes its name from the distinctive earthen mounds. The mounds contained large stone burial chambers, and some are surrounded by [[moat]]s.

Kofun came in many shapes, with round and square being the simplest. A distinct style is the keyhole kofun ([[:ja:前方後円墳|前方後円墳]] ''zenpō kōen fun''), with its square front and round back. Many kofun were natural hills, which might have been sculpted to their final shape. Kofun range in size from several meters to over 400 [[meter]]s in length.

By the late Kofun period, the distinctive burial chambers, originally used by the ruling elite, were also built for commoners.

The biggest kofun are believed to be the tombs of local monarchs such as [[Emperor Ōjin]] and [[Emperor Nintoku]]. Kofun are also classified according to whether the entrance to the stone burial chamber is vertical (縦穴 ''tate-ana'') or horizontal (横穴 ''yoko-ana'').

===Development of Kofun===
The oldest Japanese Kofun is said to be Hokenoyama Kofun located in Sakurai, [[Nara]], which dates to the late 3rd century. In Makimuku district of Sakurai, earlier keyhole kofuns (Hashihaka Kofun, Shibuya Mukaiyama Kofun) were built around the early 4th century. The trend of the keyhole kofun first spread from Yamato to Kawachi (where gigantic kofun such as Daisen Kofun of Emperor Nintoku are), and then throughout the country (except for Tohoku) in the 5th century. Around the same time, keyhole kofuns were also built in southern Korea ([[Gaya confederacy]]).


Kofun have four basic shapes: round and square are the most common, followed by 'scallop-shell' and 'keyhole.' The keyhole tomb is a distinct style found only in Japan, with a square front and round back. Kofun range in size from several meters to over 400 meters long, and unglazed pottery figures (''[[Haniwa]]'') were often buried under a kofun's circumference.
The spreading of keyhole kofun is generally assumed to be an evidence of Yamato court's expansion in this age. However, some argue that it simply shows the spreading of culture based on progress and distribution, and has little to do with political breakthroughs. Whether the keyhole kofun in Gaya was for a local chieftain influenced by Japanese culture or for an immigrated Japanese aristocrat is also debated.


===Development===
Keyhole kofun disappeared later in 6th century, probably because of the drastic reformation which took place in the Yamato court; ''[[Nihonshoki]]'' records the introduction of Buddhism at this time. The last two great kofun are Imashirozuka kofun (length: 190m) of Osaka which is believed by current scholars to be the tomb of [[Emperor Keitai]] and Iwatoyama kofun (length: 135m) of Fukuoka which was recorded in ''Fudoki of Chikugo'' to be the tomb of Iwai, the political archrival of Keitai.
[[File:KofunCuirass.jpg|thumb|alt=See caption|Iron ''[[tankō]]'' armour and helmet, with gilt bronze decoration, 5th century CE ([[Tokyo National Museum]])]]
The oldest Japanese kofun is reportedly Hokenoyama Kofun in [[Sakurai, Nara]], which dates to the late 3rd century. In the Makimuku district of Sakurai, later keyhole kofuns ([[Hashihaka Kofun]], Shibuya Mukaiyama Kofun) were built during the early 4th century. The keyhole kofun spread from [[Yamato Province|Yamato]] to [[Kawachi Province|Kawachi]]—with giant kofun, such as Daisenryō Kofun—and then throughout the country during the 5th century. Keyhole kofun disappeared later in the 6th century, probably because of the drastic reformation of the Yamato court; ''[[Nihon Shoki]]'' records the introduction of Buddhism at this time. The last two great kofun are the {{convert|190|m|ft|adj=mid|-long}} Imashirozuka kofun in Osaka (currently believed by scholars to be the tomb of [[Emperor Keitai]]) and the {{convert|135|m|ft|adj=mid|long}} Iwatoyama kofun in Fukuoka, recorded in ''Fudoki of Chikugo'' as the tomb of Iwai (political archrival of [[Emperor Keitai]]). Kofun burial mounds on the island of [[Tanegashima]] and two very old Shinto shrines on the island of [[Yakushima]] suggest that these islands were the southern boundary of the [[Yamato Kingship|Yamato state]];<ref name=":0" /> it extended north to Tainai in the present-day [[Niigata Prefecture]], where excavated mounds have been associated with a person closely linked to the Yamato kingdom.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T120916001832.htm|title=Yamato kingdom traces found in Niigata Pref.|date=September 17, 2012|newspaper=Daily Yomiuri Online|access-date=September 23, 2012}}</ref>


==Yamato court==
==Yamato court==
{{Unreferenced|section|date=May 2024}}{{Main|Yamato Kingship}}
[[Image: KofunCuirass.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Iron helmet and armour with gilt bronze decoration, Kofun period, 5th century. [[Tokyo National Museum]].]]
While conventionally assigned to the period from 250 CE, the actual start of Yamato rule is disputed. The start of the court is also linked with the controversy of [[Yamataikoku]] and its fall. Regardless, it is generally agreed that Yamato rulers possessed keyhole kofun culture and held hegemony in Yamato up to 4th century. The regional autonomy of local powers remained throughout the period, particularly in places such as Kibi (current [[Okayama prefecture]]), Izumo (current [[Shimane prefecture]]), Koshi (current [[Fukui prefecture|Fukui]] and [[Niigata prefectures]]), Kenu (northern [[Kanto]]), Chikushi (northern [[Kyūshū]]), and Hi (central Kyūshū); it was only in the 6th century that the Yamato clans could be said to be dominant over the entire southern half of Japan. On the other hand, official diplomatic relations with the Korean peninsula and China were likely to have been concentrated in Yamato, as Chinese and Korean history recorded no other rival provinces in the Japanese archipelago. Yamato's relationships with foreign states is likely to have begun in the late 4th century, according to the [[Seven-Branched Sword]] inscription.
[[Yamato Kingship|Yamato rule]] is usually believed to have begun about 250 AD, and it is generally agreed that Yamato rulers had keyhole-kofun culture and hegemony in Yamato until the 4th century. Autonomy of local powers remained throughout the period, particularly in Kibi (the present-day [[Okayama Prefecture]]), Izumo (current [[Shimane Prefecture]]), Koshi (current [[Fukui Prefecture|Fukui]] and [[Niigata Prefecture]]), Kenu (northern [[Kantō]]), Chikushi (northern [[Kyūshū]]), and Hi (central Kyūshū). During the 6th century, the Yamato clans began to dominate the southern half of Japan. According to the ''[[Book of Song]]'', Yamato relationships with China probably began in the late 4th century.


The Yamato [[polity]], which emerged by the late 5th century, was distinguished by powerful [[clan]]s (豪族: ''Gozoku''). Each clan was headed by a [[patriarch]] (氏上: ''Ujikami'') who performed sacred rites to the clan's ''[[kami]]'' to ensure the long-term welfare of the clan. Clan members were the aristocracy, and the kingly line that controlled the Yamato court was at its pinnacle.
The Yamato [[polity]], which emerged by the late 5th century, was distinguished by powerful [[clan]]s (豪族, ''[[gōzoku]]''). Each clan was headed by a patriarch (氏上, ''Uji-no-kami''), who performed sacred rituals to the clan's ''[[kami]]'' (objects of worship) to ensure its long-term welfare. Clan members were the aristocracy, and the royal line which controlled the Yamato court was at its zenith. Clan leaders were awarded ''[[kabane]]'', inherited titles denoting rank and political standing which replaced family names.


The Kofun period of Japanese culture is also sometimes called the Yamato period by some Western scholars, since this local chieftainship arose to become the Imperial dynasty at the end of the Kofun period. Yamato and its dynasty however were just one rival polity among others throughout the Kofun era. Japanese archaeologists emphasise instead the fact that in the early half of the Kofun period other regional chieftainships, such as [[Kibi Province|Kibi]] were in close contention for dominance or importance. Tsukuriyama Kofun of Kibi is the fourth largest kofun in Japan.
The Kofun period is called the Yamato period by some Western scholars, since this local chieftainship became the imperial dynasty at the end of the period. However, the Yamato clan ruled just one polity among others during the Kofun era. Japanese archaeologists emphasise that other regional chieftainships (such as [[Kingdom of Kibi|Kibi]]) were in close contention for dominance in the first half of the Kofun period; Kibi's Tsukuriyama Kofun is Japan's fourth-largest.


[[File:KofunSwordHilts.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Three sword hilts|Gilded sword hilts, late Kofun period, 6th century]]
The [[Yamato court]] ultimately exercised power over clans in [[Kyūshū]] and [[Honshū]], bestowing titles, some hereditary, on clan chieftains. The Yamato name became synonymous with all of Japan as the Yamato rulers suppressed the clans and acquired agricultural lands. Based on [[China|Chinese]] models (including the adoption of the [[Chinese written language]]), they started to develop a central administration and an imperial court attended by subordinate clan chieftains but with no permanent capital. Japan's rulers of the time even petitioned the Chinese court for confirmation of royal titles.
The [[Yamato period|Yamato court]] exercised power over clans in [[Kyūshū]] and [[Honshū]], bestowing titles (some hereditary) on clan chieftains. The Yamato name became synonymous with Japan as Yamato rulers suppressed other clans and acquired agricultural land. Based on [[China|Chinese]] models (including the adoption of the [[Chinese written language]]), they began to develop a central administration and an imperial court attended by subordinate clan chieftains with no permanent capital. Powerful clans were the [[Soga clan|Soga]], [[Katsuragi clan|Katsuragi]], [[:ja:平群氏|Heguri]] and [[:ja:巨勢氏|Koze]] clans in the [[Yamato Province|Yamato]] and [[Bizen Province]]s and the [[:ja:吉備氏|Kibi]] clans in the [[Izumo Province]]. The [[Ōtomo clan|Ōtomo]] and [[Mononobe clan]]s were military leaders, and the [[Nakatomi clan|Nakatomi]] and [[:ja:忌部氏|Inbe]] clans handled rituals. The Soga clan provided the government's chief minister, the Ōtomo and Mononobe clans provided secondary ministers, and provincial leaders were called ''[[kuni no miyatsuko]]''. Craftsmen were organized into guilds.


==={{anchor|Territorial expansion of Yamato}}Territorial expansion===
The Yamato court had ties to the [[Gaya confederacy]], called ''Mimana'' in Japanese. There is archaeological evidence from the Kofun tombs, which show similarities in form, art, and clothing of the depicted nobles. Based on the Nihonshoki, Japanese ''[[kokugaku]]'' historians claimed Gaya to be a colony of the Yamato state, a theory that is now widely rejected. More likely all these states were tributaries to the [[China|Chinese]] dynasties to some extent.
[[File:Warehouse (Kofun era) Osaka JPN 001.jpg|thumb|alt=Brown building with an angular roof|Reconstructed Kofun-era warehouse]]
In addition to archaeological findings indicating a local monarchy in [[Kibi Province]] as an important rival, the legend of the 4th-century Prince [[Yamato Takeru]] alludes to the borders of the [[Yamato Province|Yamato]] and battlegrounds in the region; a frontier was near the later [[Izumo Province]] (eastern present-day [[Shimane Prefecture]]). Another frontier, in [[Kyūshū]], was apparently north of present-day [[Kumamoto Prefecture]]. According to the legend, there was an eastern land in Honshū "whose people disobeyed the imperial court" and against whom Yamato Takeru was sent to fight.{{citation needed|date=September 2018}} It is unclear if the rival country was near the Yamato nucleus or further away. [[Kai Province]] is mentioned as a location where prince Yamato Takeru traveled on his military expedition.


The period's northern frontier was explained in ''[[Kojiki]]'' as the legend of Shido Shōgun's (四道将軍, "Shōguns to four ways") expedition. One of four ''[[shōgun]]s'', Ōbiko set out northward to Koshi and his son Take Nunakawawake left for the eastern states. The father moved east from northern Koshi, and the son moved north;{{contradict-inline|date=September 2018|reason=See previous sentence.}} they met at Aizu, in present-day western [[Fukushima Prefecture]]. Although the legend is probably not factual, Aizu is near southern Tōhoku (the northern extent of late-4th-century keyhole-kofun culture).
===Territorial expansion of Yamato===
In addition to archaeological findings indicating a local monarchy in the [[Kibi Province]] as an important rival, the legend of the 4th century Prince [[Yamato Takeru]] alludes to the borders of the [[Yamato Province|Yamato]] and battlegrounds in the area. A frontier was obviously somewhere close to the later [[Izumo province]] (the eastern part of today's [[Shimane prefecture]]). Another frontier, in [[Kyūshū]], was apparently somewhere north of today's [[Kumamoto prefecture]]. The legend specifically states that there was an eastern land in Honshu "whose people disobeyed the imperial court", against whom [[Yamato Takeru]] was sent to fight. That rivalling country may have been located rather close to the Yamato nucleus area itself, or relatively far away. The today [[Kai province]] is mentioned as one of the locations where prince Yamato Takeru sojourned in his said military expedition.

Northern frontier of this age was also explained in Kojiki as the legend of Shido Shogun's (四道将軍: Shoguns to four ways) expedition. Out of four shoguns, Ōbiko set northward to Koshi and his son Take Nunakawawake set to eastern states. The father moved east from northern Koshi while the son moved north on his way, and they finally met at Aizu(current western [[Fukushima Prefecture|Fukushima]]). Although the legend itself is not likely to be a historical fact, Aizu is rather close to southern Tōhoku, where the north end of keyhole kofun culture as of late 4th century is located.


===Ōkimi===
===Ōkimi===
[[File:IshibutaiWithFigureSmallVersion2.jpg|thumb|alt=Open tomb, with a person inside for scale|[[Ishibutai Kofun]], a late kofun in [[Nara Prefecture]]]]
During the Kofun period, a highly aristocratic society with [[militarism|militaristic]] rulers developed.
During the Kofun period, an aristocratic society with [[militarism|militaristic]] rulers developed. The period was a critical stage in Japan's evolution into a cohesive, recognized state. The society was most developed in the [[Kinai region]] and the eastern [[Setouchi region]]. Japan's rulers petitioned the Chinese court for confirmation of royal titles.


While the rulers' title was officially "King", they called themselves ''"Ōkimi"'' (大王, "Great King") during this period. Inscriptions on two swords (the [[Inariyama Sword|Inariyama]] and [[Eta Funayama Sword]]s) read ''Amenoshita Shiroshimesu'' (治天下; "ruling Heaven and Earth") and ''Ōkimi'', indicating that the rulers invoked the [[Mandate of Heaven]]. The title ''Amenoshita Shiroshimesu Ōkimi'' was used until the 7th century, when it was replaced by ''Tennō''.
The Kofun period was a critical stage in Japan's evolution toward a more cohesive and recognized state. This society was most developed in the [[Kinai Region]] and the easternmost part of the [[Inland Sea]]. Japan's rulers of the time even petitioned the Chinese court for confirmation of royal titles.


==={{anchor|Clans of the Yamato Court}}Clans===
While the ruler's title are diplomatically ''King'', they locally titled themselves as ''Ōkimi''(Great King) during this period. Inscriptions in two swords, [[The iron sword of Inariyama Kofun|Inariyama Sword]] and Eta Funayama Sword had records of ''Amenoshita Shiroshimesu''(治天下;"ruling of Heaven and Earth") and ''Ōkimi''(大王) in common, to be a ruler that the bearers of these swords were subjected to. It reveals that rulers of this age also grasped religious authorities to justify their thrones through heavenly dignities. The title of ''Amenoshita Shiroshimesu Okimi'' was used up to 7th century, until being replaced by ''Tenno''.
Many of the clans and local chieftains who made up the Yamato polity claimed descent from the imperial family or ''kami''. Archaeological evidence for the clans is found on the Inariyama Sword, on which the bearer recorded the names of his ancestors to claim descent from ''Ōbiko'' (大彦, recorded in the ''[[Nihon Shoki]]'' as a son of [[Emperor Kōgen]]). A number of clans claimed origin in China or the Korean Peninsula.


During the 5th century, the [[Katsuragi clan]] (葛城氏, descended from the legendary grandson of Emperor Kōgen) was the most prominent power in the court and intermarried with the imperial family. After the clan declined, late in the century, it was replaced by the [[Ōtomo clan (ancient)|Ōtomo clan]]. When Emperor Buretsu died with no apparent heir, [[Ōtomo no Kanamura]] recommended [[Emperor Keitai]] (a distant imperial relative in [[Koshi Province (Japan)|Koshi Province]]) as the new monarch. Kanamura resigned due to the failure of his diplomatic policies, and the court was controlled by the [[Mononobe clan|Mononobe]] and [[Soga clan]]s at the beginning of the [[Asuka period]].
===Clans of the Yamato Court===
Many of the clans and local chieftains consisting Yamato polity claimed its taproot to imperial family or other tribal Gods(Kami). The archeological evidence of such clans is found in Inariyama sword, on which the bearer recorded the names of his ancestors to claim its origin to Ōbiko(''大彦'') who was recorded in [[Nihon Shoki]] as a son of [[Emperor Kogen|Emperor Kōgen]]. On the other hand, there are also considerable numbers of clans having origins in Korea (240) or China (170).


=={{anchor|Kofun society}}Society==
At 5th century, Kazuraki clan(''葛城氏''), descending from the legendary grandson of Emperor Kogen, was the most prominent power in the court and intermarried with imperial family. After Kazuraki faded in late 5th century, Ōtomo clan(''大伴氏'') temporarily took its place. When Emperor Buretsu died with no apparent heir, it was [[Otomo no Kanamura]] who recommended [[Emperor Keitai]], a very distant imperial relative resided in Koshi (current Fukui Prefecture), to be a new monarch. However, Kanamura was resigned due to failures on diplomatic policies, and the court was eventually controlled by Mononobe clan (''物部氏'') and Soga clan(''蘇我氏'') at the beginning of Asuka Period.
===Toraijin===
{{main|Toraijin}}
[[File:KofunHorseCharriots.JPG|thumb|alt=See caption|Detail of chariots on a Chinese bronze mirror sent to Japan during the Kofun period. From the Eta-Funayama Tumulus, [[Kumamoto]] ([[Tokyo National Museum]])]]
''[[wiktionary:渡来人|Toraijin]]'' refers to people who immigrated to Japan from abroad via the [[Ryukyu Islands]] or the Korean Peninsula. They introduced numerous, significant aspects of [[Chinese culture]] to Japan such as Chinese writing system and [[Buddhism]] from India. Valuing their knowledge and culture, the Yamato government gave preferential treatment to ''toraijin''.<ref name="Kōzō311">{{cite book
| last = Kōzō
| first = Yamamura
|author2=John Whitney Hall
| title = The Cambridge history of Japan
| publisher = Cambridge University Press
| year = 1997
| isbn = 0-521-22354-7
|page=311
}}</ref> According to the 815 book, ''[[Shinsen Shōjiroku]]'', 317 of 1,182 clans in the [[Kinai]] region of Honshū were considered to have foreign ancestry. 163 were of Chinese origin (written as "Kan"), 104 from [[Baekje]] ("Paekche" in the older romanization), 41 from [[Goguryeo]], 6 from [[Silla]], and 3 from [[Gaya confederacy|Gaya]].<ref name="Saeki">Saeki (1981)</ref> They may have immigrated to Japan between 356 and 645.


===Influential immigrants===
In [[Emperor Ojin]]'s reign, many immigrants were recorded to be sent from the Korean kingdom of Baekje for the introduction of various continental culture. In [[Emperor Kimmei]]'s reign, according to the Nihongi, Soga no Iname assigned a Korean in charge of taxes levied on shipments. The introduction of Chinese writing to Yamato was one Baekje's most important gifts to the court.<ref>{{cite book| url=http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&vid=ISBN0521223547&id=tZCsr49JQJgC&dq=paekche+nihon+shoki&lpg=PA309&pg=PA311&sig=ppi4zQ4FrtTOCq8ZMLeLbZuiyoU| title=The Cambridge History of Japan| editor=Kozo Yamamura | id=ISBN 0-521-22354-7| publisher=Cambridge University Press| pages=311}}</ref>
Some of the many immigrants that had significant influence in Kofun period Japan included [[Wani (scholar)|Wani]], [[Yuzuki no Kimi]] and [[Achi no omi|Achi no Omi]], the founders of [[Kawachinofumi clan]]/[[Kawachinoaya clan]],<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last1=Takaoka |first1=Nobuyuki |last2=片岡 |first2=伸行 |date=2023-07-31 |title=神々のルーツ 明日香の地と「今木神」 – 全日本民医連 |url=https://www.min-iren.gr.jp/?p=48205 |website=www.min-iren.gr.jp |publisher=Japan Federation of Democratic Medical Institutions (全日本民主医療機関連合会) |language=Japanese}}</ref> [[Hata clan]]<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |title=都市史01 ~秦氏~ |trans-title=History of the City 01 ~Hata clan~ |url=https://www2.city.kyoto.lg.jp/somu/rekishi/fm/nenpyou/htmlsheet/toshi01.html |website=[[Kyoto City]] |language=Japanese |format=}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=「伊奈利社創祀前史」 ~伏見稲荷大社~ |url=https://inari.jp/about/history/num11/ |access-date= |website=inari.jp}}</ref> and [[Yamatonoaya clan]],<ref name="森.門脇1977">{{Cite book |author=森浩一, 門脇禎二 |url=https://iss.ndl.go.jp/books/R100000002-I000002692424-00 |title=渡来人 : 尾張・美濃と渡来文化 |publisher=大巧社 |year=1997 |isbn=4924899232 |series=春日井シンポジウム |language=Japanese |id={{JPNO|99011294}}}}</ref><ref name=":03">『古代国家と天皇』創元社、1957年</ref> respectively. Despite being ethnically similar, many immigrants from [[Baekje]] and [[Silla]] had arrived in Japan during [[Emperor Ōjin]]'s reign carrying separate identities and foreign deities such as the ''[[kami]]'' [[Inari Ōkami|Inari]].<ref name="Higo">Higo, Kazuo. "Inari Shinkō no Hajime". ''Inari Shinkō'' (ed. Hiroji Naoe). Tokyo: Yūzankaku Shuppan, 1983.</ref><ref name=":12">{{Cite web |title=「おいなりさん物語」 ~伏見稲荷大社~ |url=https://inari.jp/about/story/ |website=Fushimi Inari Taisha |language=Japanese}}</ref>
<!--~~commented due to duplication with Asuka Period article;M.Aly~~ One-third of the noble families on a list compiled in 815 had their origins in China or Korea: 170 of the 1200 listed were from China, 240 from different parts of Korea. <ref> http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&vid=ISBN0520225600&id=9AivK7yMICgC&pg=PA32&lpg=PA32&dq=history+of+japan+and+korea&vq=korea&sig=V5gQx0zzYDUvUYqeYjnYRbMoCG8</ref>. These immigrants received noble titles from the rulers of the Yamato, and were valued as experts, especially on iron-working, horseriding and writing.


Other immigrants who settled in Japan beginning in the 4th century were the progenitors of Japanese clans. According to ''[[Kojiki]]'' and ''[[Nihon Shoki]]'', the oldest record of a Silla immigrant is [[Amenohiboko]]: a legendary prince of [[Silla]] who settled in Japan at the era of [[Emperor Suinin]], possibly during the 3rd or 4th centuries.
According to [[Shoku Nihongi]], [[Emperor Temmu]] requested the introduction of a strict political system, [[Ritsuryo]], based on that of [[Tang Dynasty|Tang dynasty China]]. Two of the 19 members of the committee drafting the [[Taiho Code]] were Chinese priests while none were from Korean immigrant families.[http://applepig.idv.tw/kuon/furu/text/syokki/syokki01.htm#skk01_06][http://www.j-texts.com/jodai/shoku1.html] Their names are Shoku-Shugen and Satsu-Koukaku. They took an active part as a Chinese specialist, and received the reward of two times from the [[Empress Jito]]. the system of local administrative districts and the tribute tax were both based on Chinese models. Though ''Ritsu'' (Criminal law) was adopted from the Chinese system, ''Ryō'' (system of local administrative districts and the tribute tax) was arranged in a native Japanese way. -->


Baekje and Silla sent their princes as hostages to the Yamato court in exchange for military support.<ref>{{cite book |last=Brown, Delmer M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A3_6lp8IOK8C&pg=PA141 |title=The Cambridge History of Japan: Ancient Japan |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1993 |isbn=0-521-22352-0 |page=141 |quote=Faced with this comeback by Koguryo, Paekche leaders turned to Yamato for military support, even sending its crown prince to Yamato as a hostage in 397 – just as Silla had dispatched princely hostage to Koguryo in 392 when that kingdom was in dire need of military support. |author-link=Delmer Brown}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Pratt |first=Keith |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1Gui8CdUfVoC&q=Baekje+prince+hostage+yamato&pg=PA42 |title=Everlasting Flower: A History of Korea |publisher=Reaktion Books |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-86189-335-2 |page=42 |quote=We can only guess, for example, what it felt like for the girls periodically sent as brides to foreign courts, for the crown prince of Paekche when he was dispatched to the Yamato court as a hostage in AD 397, or for a Silla prince who experienced the same fate in 402.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cZ0xAQAAIAAJ&q=hostage |title=The New Encyclopædia Britannica |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica |year=2003 |isbn=0-85229-961-3 |page=279 |quote=Paekche was frequently attacked by Koguryo during the century, prompting continued requests for assistance from Yamato; it is recorded that Paekche even sent a crown prince to Yamato as a hostage on one occasion and the mother of the king on another. Yet, probably because of internal dissension, Yamato did not dispatch any troops to the peninsula. Yamato's interest in Korea was apparently a desire for access to improved continental technology and resources, especially iron.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Henthorn |first=William E. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E_5xAAAAMAAJ&q=Misahun |title=A history of Korea |publisher=Free Press |year=1971 |isbn=9780029144602 |page=37 |quote=In 402, Silla concluded a peace with the Wa. Prince Misahun was then sent to Japan as a hostage. This may have been an act of revenge by the Silla monarch, who, as Prince Silsong, had been sent as hostage to Koguryo by Prince Misahun's father. Despite the peace, Silla–Wa relations were never friendly, due no doubt in part to the Wa–Kaya alliance.}}</ref> King [[Muryeong of Baekje]] was born in [[Kyushu]] ([[Chikuzen Province|筑紫]]) of Japan as the child of a hostage in 462,<ref>[[Nihon Shoki]] Vol.14 "Chronicle of [[Emperor Yūryaku]]" 六月丙戌朔 孕婦果如加須利君言 於[[Chikuzen Province]] (筑紫) 各羅嶋産兒 仍名此兒曰嶋君 於是 軍君即以一船 送嶋君於國 是爲[[King Muryeong of Baekje]] (武寧王) 百濟人呼此嶋曰主嶋也</ref> and left a son in Japan who was an ancestor of the minor-noble {{Nihongo|Yamato no Fubito|和史|"Scribes of Yamato"}} clan. According to the {{Nihongo|[[Shoku Nihongi]]|続日本紀}}, Yamato no Fubito's relative ([[Takano no Niigasa]]) was a 10th-generation descendant of King Muryeong of Baekje who was chosen as a [[concubine]] for [[Emperor Kōnin]] and was the mother of [[Emperor Kanmu]]. In 2001, Emperor [[Akihito]] confirmed his ancient royal Korean heritage through Emperor Kanmu.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2001-12-28 |title=The emperor's new roots |url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/dec/28/japan.worlddispatch |access-date=2022-12-02 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}</ref>
Korean influence on Japanese laws is also attributed to the fact that Korean immigrants were on committees that drew up law codes. Eight of the 19 members of the committee drafting the Taiho Code were from Korean immigrant families while none were from China proper. Further, idea of local administrative districts and the tribute tax are based on Korean models. <ref>http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&vid=ISBN0824820304&id=dCNioYQ1HfsC&vq=yamato+paekche&dq=kofun+tumuli+korea&lpg=PA104&pg=PA105&sig=3Me7_8p9Tdh1KAYJFUpG7L-Q8ho</ref>.


==Kofun society==
=={{anchor|Kofun Culture}}Culture==
===Language===
[[Image:KofunHorseCharriots.JPG|thumb|left|230px|Horse chariots during the Kofun period. Detail of bronze mirror (5th-6th century). Eta-Funayama Tumulus, Kumamoto. [[Tokyo National Museum]].]]
{{Main|Japanese language}}
[[File:Warrior in Keiko Armor, National Treasure, Kofun period, 6th century, haniwa (terracotta tomb figurine) from Iizuka-machi, Ota-shi, Gunma - Tokyo National Museum - DSC06425.JPG|thumb|alt=Terra-cotta soldier|''[[Haniwa]]'' soldier in ''keiko'' armor]]
[[File:Caballo Haniwa Guimet 01.JPG|thumb|alt=Terra-cotta horse, with saddle and bridle|''Haniwa'' horse statuette]]
[[Han Chinese|Chinese]], [[Yamato people|Japanese]], and [[Koreans]] wrote historical accounts primarily in [[Chinese characters]], making original pronunciation difficult to trace. Although writing was largely unknown to the indigenous Japanese of the period, the literary skills of foreigners seem to have been increasingly appreciated by the Japanese elite. The [[Inariyama Sword]], tentatively dated to 471 or 531, contains a Chinese-character inscription in a style used in China at the time.<ref name="Seeley">Seeley (2000:19-23)</ref>


===Torai-Jin===
===''Haniwa''===
The [[cavalry]] wore armour, carried [[sword]]s and other weapons, and used advanced military methods similar to those of [[Northeast Asia]]. Evidence of the advances is seen in {{Nihongo|''[[haniwa]]''|埴輪|extra="clay ring"}}, clay offerings placed in a ring on and around the tomb mounds of the ruling elite. The most important of these ''haniwa'' were found in southern [[Honshū]] (especially the [[Kansai|Kinai region]] around [[Nara Prefecture]]) and northern [[Kyūshū]]. ''Haniwa'' grave offerings were sculpted as horses, chickens, birds, fans, fish, houses, weapons, shields, sunshades, pillows, and male and female humans. Another funerary piece, the {{Nihongo|''[[magatama]]''|勾玉|extra="curved jewel"}}, became symbolic of imperial power.


==={{anchor|Introduction of material culture to Japan}}Introduction of material culture===
[[Han Chinese|Chinese]] and [[Korean]] immigrants who naturalized in ancient Japan were called "Torai-Jin" (渡来人). They introduced many aspects of [[Chinese culture]] to Japan; valuing their knowledge and culture, the Yamato government gave preferential treatment to Torai-Jins.
Much of the [[material culture]] of the Kofun period demonstrates that Japan was in close political and economic contact with continental Asia (especially with the southern dynasties of China) via the Korean Peninsula; bronze mirrors cast from the same mould have been found on both sides of the [[Tsushima Strait]]. [[Irrigation]], [[sericulture]], and [[weaving]] were brought to Japan by immigrants, who are mentioned in ancient Japanese histories; the [[Hata clan]] introduced sericulture and certain types of weaving.<ref name="Shogakukan">{{Citation
| year = 1988
| title = 国語大辞典 (Kokugo Dai Jiten Dictionary)
| edition = 新装版 (Revised Edition)
| publisher = Shogakukan
| place = Tokyo
| language = ja
| quote = 姓氏。古代の有力帰化系氏族。出自は諸説あるが、おそらく五世紀に渡来した中国人の子孫で、養蚕・機織の技術をもって朝廷に仕え、伴造(とものみやつこ)の一員として秦造(はたのみやつこ)を称したと思われる。<br /> Surname. Influential immigrant clan in ancient times. Various theories about origins, but most likely descendants of Chinese immigrants who came to Japan in the fifth century, who are thought to have brought sericulture and weaving technologies and served in the imperial court, and to have been granted the title ''Hata no Miyatsuko'' as members of the ''Tomo no Miyatsuko'' [an imperial rank responsible for overseeing technically skilled artisans].
}}</ref>


=={{anchor|Towards Asuka period}}Asuka period==
===Chinese migration===
The introduction of [[Buddhism]] in 538 marked the transition from the Kofun to the [[Asuka period]], which coincided with the reunification of China under the [[Sui dynasty]] later in the century. Japan became deeply influenced by Chinese culture, adding a cultural context to the religious distinction between the periods.
Many important figures were also immigrants from [[China]]. Chinese immigrants also had considerable influence according to the Shinsen-Joujouroku (新撰姓氏録),<ref>{{cite web| url=http://homepage1.nifty.com/k-kitagawa/data/shoji.html| title="Shinsen-shōjiroku" shizoku ichiran 『新撰姓氏録』氏族一覧|publisher=transcribed by Kazuhide Kitagawa|accessdate=2006-05-31}}</ref> which was used as a directory of aristocrats. Yamato Imperial Court had officially edited the directory in 815, and 163 Chinese clans were registered.


=={{anchor|Relations between the Yamato court and other East Asian kingdoms}}Relations with other East Asian kingdoms==
According to [[Nihongi]], The [[Hata tribe|Hata clan]] hich was composed of descendants of [[Qin Shi Huang]]<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.myj7000.jp-biz.net/clan/03/03001.htm| title=Nihon no myōji 7000 ketsu seishi ruibetsu taikan Hata uji 日本の苗字7000傑 姓氏類別大観 秦氏| accessdate=2006-05-31}}</ref> arrived at Yamato in 403 (the fourteenth year of Oujin) leading the people of 120 provinces. According to the Shinsen-Shoujiroku, the Hata Clan were dispersed in various provinces during the reign of [[Emperor Nintoku]] and let undertake sericulture and the manufacturing of silk for the court. When the [[finance ministry]] was set up in Yamato Court, Hata Otsuchichi (''秦大津父'') was in charge of accounts as a minister of it.
===Chinese records===
According to the ''[[Book of Sui]]'', [[Silla]] and [[Baekje]] greatly valued relations with the Kofun-period [[Wa (Japan)|Wa]] and the Korean kingdoms made diplomatic efforts to maintain their good standing with the Japanese.<ref name="sui">Chinese History Record [[Book of Sui]], Vol. 81, ''Liezhuan'' 46 : 隋書 東夷伝 第81巻列伝46 : 新羅、百濟皆以倭為大國,多珍物,並敬仰之,恆通使往來 "Silla and Baekje both take Wa to be a great country, with many rare and precious things; also [Silla and Baekje] respect and look up to them, and regularly send embassies there." [http://www.guoxue.com/shibu/24shi/suisu/sui_081.htm]{{cite web |title=Archived copy |url=http://www.chinakyl.com/rbbook/big5/25/suishu/suis81.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041221184200/http://www.chinakyl.com/rbbook/big5/25/suishu/suis81.html |archive-date=2004-12-21 |access-date=2006-04-29}}</ref> The ''[[Book of Song]]'' reported that a Chinese emperor appointed the [[five kings of Wa]] in 451 to supervise military Affairs of Wa, Silla, [[Gaya confederacy|Imna]], Gara, [[Jinhan confederacy|Jinhan]] and Mahan.<ref name="song">Chinese History Record [[Book of Song]] : 宋書 列傳第五十七 夷蠻 : 詔除武使持節、都督倭新羅任那加羅秦韓慕韓六國諸軍事、安東大將軍、倭王。興死,弟武立,自稱使持節、都督倭百濟新羅任那加羅秦韓慕韓七國諸軍事、安東大將軍、倭國王 [http://www.hoolulu.com/zh/25shi/06songshu/t-097.htm] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151013072650/http://www.hoolulu.com/zh/25shi/06songshu/t-097.htm|date=2015-10-13}}[http://www.xysa.net/a200/h350/06songshu/t-097.htm] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303184326/http://www.xysa.net/a200/h350/06songshu/t-097.htm|date=2016-03-03}}</ref>


===Japanese records===
In 409 (twentieth year of Oujin), [[Achi-no-Omi]] ancestor of the [[Yamato-Aya clan]] which was composed of also arrived with the people of 17 districts. According to the Shinsen-Shoujiroku, Achi obtained the permission to establish the Province of Imaki. The Kawachi-no-Fumi clan , descendants of [[Gaozu of Han]], introduced aspects of Chinese writing to the Yamato court.
According to the ''[[Nihon Shoki]]'', Silla was conquered by the [[Empress Jingū|Japanese Empress-consort Jingū]] in the third century.<ref>Sakamoto (1967:336-340)</ref> However, due to lack of evidence,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O6W6uQEACAAJ&q=Historia+Korei|title=Historia Korei|author=Joanna Rurarz|publisher=Wydawnictwo Akademickie Dialog|language=pl|year=2014|page=89|isbn=9788363778866}}</ref> this story is considered to be mythological in nature. It reported that the prince of [[Silla]] came to Japan to serve the [[emperor of Japan]],<ref>''Nihon Shoki'', Vol.6 "天日槍對曰 僕新羅國主之子也 然聞日本國有聖皇 則以己國授弟知古而化歸(to serve)之"</ref> and lived in [[Tajima Province]]. Known as Amenohiboko, his descendant is [[Tajima Mori]].<ref>''Nihon Shoki'', Vol.6 "故天日槍娶但馬出嶋人 太耳女麻多烏 生但馬諸助也 諸助生但馬日楢杵 日楢杵生清彦 清彦生田道間守也"</ref> According to ''Kojiki''<ref>百濟國主照古王遣阿知吉師獻雄馬雌馬各壹以貢上此阿知吉師者 阿直史等之祖</ref> and ''Nihon Shoki'',<ref>十五年秋八月 壬戌朔丁卯 百濟王遣阿直岐 貢良馬二匹 即養於輕阪上廄 因以阿直岐令掌飼 故號其養馬之處曰 廄阪</ref> [[Geunchogo of Baekje]] presented stallions, broodmares and [[horse trainer|trainers]] to the Japanese emperor during [[Emperor Ōjin]]'s reign.<ref name="KUrano">Kurano (1958:248-249)</ref>


According to ''Kojiki'' and ''Nihon Shoki'', Baekje had also sent a scholar by the name of [[Wani (scholar)|Wani]] during the reign of [[Emperor Ōjin]]. He is said to be the pioneer of the introduction of the [[Chinese writing system]] to Japan.
The [[Takamoku clan]] is a descendant of [[Cao Cao]]. [[Takamuko-no-Kuromaro]] was a center member of [[Taika Reform]].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.myj7000.jp-biz.net/clan/03/03008.htm| title=Nihon no myōji 7000 ketsu seishi ruibetsu taikan Takamuko uji 日本の苗字7000傑 姓氏類別大観 高向氏| accessdate=2006-10-15}}</ref>


===Korean migration===
===Korean records===
The ''[[Samguk sagi]]'' (''Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms'') reported that Baekje and Silla sent their princes as [[hostage#Historical hostage practices|hostage]]s to the Yamato court in exchange for military support to continue their military campaigns; King [[Asin of Baekje]] sent his son ([[Jeonji of Baekje|Jeonji]]) in 397,<ref name="shiragi">Korean History Record [[Samguk Sagi]] : 三國史記 新羅本紀 : 元年 三月 與倭國通好 以奈勿王子未斯欣爲質 [http://www.koreandb.net/Sam/bon/samkuk/04_030_2000277.htm]</ref> and King [[Silseong of Silla]] sent his son [[Misaheun]] in 402.<ref name="kudara">Korean History Record [[Samguk Sagi]] : 三國史記 百済本紀 : 六年夏五月 王與倭國結好 以太子腆支爲質 秋七月大閱於漢水之南 {{cite web |url=http://www.koreandb.net/Sam/bon/samkuk/04_250_2001365.htm |title=아신왕 - 삼국사기 백제본기- 디지털한국학 |access-date=2008-05-12 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080512000405/http://www.koreandb.net/Sam/bon/samkuk/04_250_2001365.htm |archive-date=2008-05-12 }}</ref> [[Hogong]], from Japan, helped to found Silla.<ref>Korean History Record [[Samguk Sagi]] :三國史記 卷第一 新羅本紀第一 始祖赫居世, 瓠公者 未詳其族姓 本倭人</ref>


== Genetics ==
Korean immigrants played an important role in introducing [[Chinese civilization]] to early Japan.[http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0395652375&id=MziRd4ddZz4C&pg=PA56&lpg=PA56&dq=Kofun+%22chinese+civilization%22&sig=TydOlwxfqIlQOnvU-zdOE0IXHoQ]. Not only are there many material objects from China and Korea that were exported to Japan such as bronze mirrors, iron, and pottery. [[Ceramic]] manufacturing in [[kiln]]s and horse-riding are two important technologies transmitted to Japan by Korean immigrants.<ref>{{cite book| url=http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&vid=ISBN0824818520&id=HpgcaKpnuU0C&pg=PA224&lpg=PA224&dq=korea+kofun&sig=MmzEJQoxe4IhzXF84FJdghFxG8E| title=Prehistoric Japan: New Perspectives on Insular East Asia| first=Keiji| last= Imamura| pages=224| id=ISBN 0-8248-1852-0| publisher=University of Hawaii Press}}</ref>
{{Main article|Genetic history of East Asians#Genetic history of Japanese}}


In mid 2021, [[The Nikkei]] published a new finding of the genetic makeup of modern Japanese and found much of Japanese make-up could be divided into two major groups, one being "Jomon" and the other being "[[Toraijin]]", a group of people who entered Japan following the Jomon people.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Nikkei Science |date=2021-06-23 |title=渡来人、四国に多かった? ゲノムが明かす日本人ルーツ |url=https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQOUC18CCA0Y1A610C2000000/ |access-date=2022-05-01 |website=nikkei.com}}</ref> Jun Ohashi, the lead researcher and professor at [[Tokyo University]], explained that 50 people's genetic samples were collected from each prefecture from a total of 47.<ref name=":3" />
Iron working technology was introduced into Japan from Korea around 300. Korea was an important source of iron ingots to Japan and the Koreans were famous for the iron-working skills in that time period.<ref name="Beasley">{{cite book| url=http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&vid=ISBN0520225600&id=9AivK7yMICgC&pg=PA11&lpg=PA11&dq=history+of+japan+and+korea&vq=korea&sig=zyBfJ-O5lI6sDs2H4CK7uTuMGig| title=The Japanese Experience: A Short History of Japan| first=W. G.| last=Beasley| publisher=University of California Press| year=Aug 31, 2000| id=ISBN 0-520-22560-0}}</ref> Korean paintings in [[Goguryeo]] tombs had important influences in Japan.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1091| title= Complex of Koguryo Tombs| publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre| accessdate=2006-05-31}}</ref> Decorated tombs and painted tumuli which date from the fifth century and later found in Japan are generally accepted as Korean exports to Japan. The [[Takamatsuzuka Tomb]] even has paintings of woman dressed in distinctive Korean pleated skirts.<ref>{{cite book| url=http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&vid=ISBN0824820304&id=dCNioYQ1HfsC&dq=kofun+tumuli+korea&lpg=PA95&pg=PA95&sig=pklpAbfrrspwFUtncGBqMy1dks0| title=Sacred Texts and Buried Treasures: Issues on the Historical Archaeology of Ancient Japan| pages=95}}</ref>


The study explained that the Toraijin, who entered the Japanese archipelago from the southern Korean peninsula after the [[Yayoi people]] (who used the same route), were concentrated in a specific region of Japan contrary to popular belief. The researchers were intrigued that the genomes found in [[Kinki]], [[Hokuriku region|Hokuriku]], and [[Shikoku]] regions were mostly made up of Toraijin while the rest were mostly composed of Jomon strands. Professor Ohashi said "In northern Kyushu, the population of migrants did not increase much even after landing, but rather the population expanded in areas such as Shikoku and Kinki."<ref name=":3" />
===Language===
{{main|Japanese language}}


Archaeological sites in [[Aichi Prefecture]] have revealed that Jomon people and Toraijin coexisted for a long time throughout the Yayoi period. The differences between prefectures that remain in the modern Japanese archipelago as seen in this analysis may reflect events that no one knows yet that occurred in the process of mixed races during the Yayoi period.<ref name=":3" />
Chinese, Korean and Japanese wrote accounts of history mostly in Chinese characters, making original pronunciations difficult to trace.


A study published in the journal [[Science Advances|''Science Advance''s]] found that the people of Japan bore genetic signatures from three ancient populations rather than just two as previously thought.<ref name="Cooke212">{{cite journal |display-authors=6 |vauthors=Cooke NP, Mattiangeli V, Cassidy LM, Okazaki K, Stokes CA, Onbe S, Hatakeyama S, Machida K, Kasai K, Tomioka N, Matsumoto A, Ito M, Kojima Y, Bradley DG, Gakuhari T, Nakagome S |date=September 2021 |title=Ancient genomics reveals tripartite origins of Japanese populations |journal=Science Advances |volume=7 |issue=38 |pages=eabh2419 |bibcode=2021SciA....7.2419C |doi=10.1126/sciadv.abh2419 |pmc=8448447 |pmid=34533991 |ref={{harvid|Cooke|2021}}}}</ref> The study states that in addition to the previously discovered Jōmon and Yayoi strands, a new strand was hypothesized to have been introduced during the Yayoi-Kofun transition period that had strong cultural and political affinity with Korea and China.<ref>{{harvnb|Cooke|2021|ps=: "Several lines of archaeological evidence support the introduction of new large settlements to Japan, most likely from the southern Korean peninsula, during the Yayoi-Kofun transition. Strong cultural and political affinity between Japan, Korea, and China is also observable from several imports, including Chinese mirrors and coins, Korean raw materials for iron production, and Chinese characters inscribed on metal implements (e.g., swords)."}}</ref> This group was classified under the "East Asian" ancestry, which was represented by the [[Han Chinese|northern Han Chinese]] in [[Beijing]].<ref>{{harvnb|Cooke|2021|ps=: "In contrast, the Kofun individuals all belong to mitochondrial haplogroups that are common in present-day East Asians. [...] East Asian ancestry in the latter model was represented by Han Chinese in Beijing, China"}}</ref> It is believed that modern Japanese people are composed of Jōmon, Northeast Asian (Yayoi) and the newly discovered East Asian ancestries.<ref name="Cooke212" /> ''[[The Nikkei]]'' published an article that showed the Kofun strand in modern day Japanese was concentrated in specific regions such as [[Kinki]], [[Hokuriku region|Hokuriku]] and [[Shikoku]].<ref name=":0222">{{Cite web |last=Nikkei Science |date=23 June 2021 |title=渡来人、四国に多かった? ゲノムが明かす日本人ルーツ |trans-title=Were there many migrants in Shikoku? Japanese roots revealed by genome analysis |url=https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQOUC18CCA0Y1A610C2000000/ |access-date=1 May 2022 |website=nikkei.com |language=ja}}</ref>
While the letter was generally strange to indigenous Japanese of this period, literal skills of the foreigners were useful. The Inariyama sword, probably made in Korea (tentatively dated 471 or 531) contains Chinese character inscriptions in styles used in Korea, revealing that there was a possible immigrant serving as the bearer, claiming himself to be an indigenous aristocrat. These "Koreanisms" of written Chinese are also found on the Eta Funayama Sword dated to about the fifth century. <ref>{{cite book| url=http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&vid=ISBN9004090819&id=KCZ2ya6cg88C&pg=PA23&lpg=PA23&dq=paekche+nihon+shoki&vq=korea&sig=wco-oUCFobS8t2VcgPZtDPVVhQ8| title=A History of Writing in Japan| first=Christopher| last=Seeley| pages=23| id=ISBN 90-04-09081-9| publisher=Brill Academic Publishers}}</ref>


Strong cultural and political affinity between [[Japan]], [[Korea]] and [[China]] is also observable from several imports, including [[Chinese magic mirror|Chinese mirrors]] and [[Ancient Chinese coinage|coins]], Korean raw materials for iron production, and [[Chinese characters]] inscribed on metal implements.{{sfn|Cooke|2021}} Several lines of archaeological evidence support the introduction of new large settlements to Japan, most likely from the southern [[Korea|Korean peninsula]], during the Yayoi-Kofun cultural transition,<ref name="livescience.com">{{cite web |date=20 September 2021 |title=Ancient bones reveal previously unknown Japanese ancestors |url=https://www.livescience.com/ancient-bones-reveal-japanese-ancestery.html |website=[[Live Science]]}}</ref> which could reflect the general route taken by the Kofun people. However, a study that examines the genetic relationship between ancient Korea and the Kofun period is yet to be made.
===Introduction of equine culture to Japan===


The researchers noted that ancestral heterogeneity exists across Japan today, which is not fully captured by this standard reference set.{{sfn|Cooke|2021}} They also stated that with the limited resources they had as only three Kofun skeletons were available for examination, there are still many more questions that need to be answered. "The Kofun individuals sequenced were not buried in keyhole-shaped mounds [reserved for high-ranking individuals], which implies that they were lower-ranking people", Nakagome said. "To see if this East Asian ancestry played a key role in the transition, we need to sequence people with a higher rank."<ref name="livescience.com" />
[[Image:HaniwaHorse.JPG|thumb|left|180px|Haniwa horse statuette, complete with [[horse tack|saddle]] and [[stirrup]]s, 6th century.]]Chinese chronicles make note that the horse was absent on the islands of Japan and they are first noted in the chronicles during the reign of [[Nintoku]], most likely brought by Korean immigrants. The horse is one of the treasures given by the king of Silla to [[Jingu of Japan]] according to the record of [[Nihonshoki]].<ref name="Episode of Jingu of Japan in Nihon Shoki">,[[Nihon Shoki]]: Episode of Jingu of Japan:''從今以後,長與乾坤,伏為飼部.其不乾船柂而春秋獻馬梳及馬鞭.復不煩海遠以每年貢男女之調'',''非東日更出西,且除阿利那禮河返以之逆流,及河石昇為星辰,而殊闕春秋之朝,怠廢梳、鞭之貢,天神地祇共討焉''</ref> [[Irrigation]], [[sericulture]], and [[weaving]] were also brought to Japan by China and Korean immigrants who are mentioned in the ancient Japanese histories. For instance, Chinese immigrant's Hata clan told Japan the sericulture.<ref name="Beasley"/>


The study is known to be the most comprehensive analysis of the Japanese archipelago published to date.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ancient DNA Rewrites Japanese History |url=http://www.technologynetworks.com/genomics/news/ancient-dna-rewrites-japanese-history-353762 |access-date=2022-04-13 |website=Genomics Research from Technology Networks |language=en}}</ref> Daniel G. Bradley, co-leader of the research project, said, "Our insights into the complex origins of modern-day Japanese once again shows the power of ancient genomics to uncover new information about human prehistory that could not be seen otherwise."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://phys.org/news/2021-09-ancient-dna-rewrites-early-japanese.html|title = Ancient DNA rewrites early Japanese history—modern day populations have tripartite genetic origin}}</ref>
The [[cavalry]] wore armour, carried [[sword]]s and other weapons, and used advanced military methods like those of north-east Asia. Evidence of these advances is seen in funerary figures (called ''[[haniwa]]''; literally, clay rings), found in thousands of ''kofun'' scattered throughout Japan. The most important of the ''[[haniwa]]'' were found in southern [[Honshū]]—especially the [[Kansai|Kinai region]] around [[Nara prefecture|Nara]]—and northern [[Kyūshū]]. ''Haniwa'' grave offerings were made in numerous forms, such as horses, chickens, birds, fans, fish, houses, weapons, shields, sunshades, pillows, and male and female humans. Another funerary piece, the [[magatama]], became one of the symbols of the power of the imperial house. Much of the [[material culture]] of the Kofun period is barely distinguishable from that of the contemporaneous southern Korean peninsula, demonstrating that at this time Japan was in close political and economic contact with continental Asia (especially with the southern dynasties of China) through Korea. Indeed, bronze mirrors cast from the same mould have been found on both sides of the [[Tsushima Strait]].


Takashi Gakuhari, a researcher conducting the experiment and a professor at [[Kanazawa University]], explained in an interview with [[Ishikawa TV]] that mostly 40%<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |date=2021-10-14 |title=のっぺり薄い顔…新たな日本人のルーツ「古墳人」発見 現代人の半数に及ぶ影響【石川発】 |work=フジニュースネットワーク |url=https://www.fnn.jp/articles/-/255397}}</ref> of modern Japanese genetic ancestry was found to come from migrants that arrived during the Kofun period, somewhat contradicting the aforementioned study. However, he remained confident that the Kofun strand played a large factor in Japanese genetics today.<ref name=":2" />
==Towards Asuka period==
Kofun period changed into [[Asuka period]] in mid-6th century CE by the introduction of Buddhism. The religion was officially introduced at the year 538 by [[Seong of Baekje|King Seong]] of [[Baekje]], and this year is traditionally set for the epoch of the new period. Also, after the reunification of China by Sui Dynasty later in this century, Japan was deeply influenced by Chinese culture and consequently entered into a new cultural era.


Following the publication, an interview with the research team was conducted by ''[[The Asahi Shimbun]]'', in which the team explained that the remains of only three Kofun people excavated in [[Kanazawa|Kanazawa City]] were used to study the genes of Kofun people and that it is necessary to study the genes of the remains of many other people in order to confirm the new hypothesis.<ref name ="asahi110322">{{cite web|url=https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASP9K55ZJP9JULBJ00Z.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220311152406/https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASP9K55ZJP9JULBJ00Z.html|script-title=ja:日本人の「完成」は古墳時代だった? DNAを分析、ルーツに新説|language=ja|publisher= [[The Asahi Shimbun]]|date=September 18, 2021|archive-date=March 11, 2022}}</ref>
==Relation of Yamato court and Korean peninsula==
Takashi Gakuhari said that this is the first study to provide evidence that the genome of the Japanese contains three ancestral groups: [[Jōmon people|Jomon]], [[Yayoi people|Yayoi]], and Kofun. He also said he would like to continue to study the mysterious origin of the Japanese people by examining the genomes of other ancient burial sites.<ref name="asahi110322"/>


Kenichi Shinoda, director of the [[National Museum of Nature and Science]], added that the genetic information of the [[Yayoi people]] varies by region and time period with examples similar to that of modern Japanese people. In order to clarify the results, he said it is necessary to increase the number of human bones to be analyzed.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/science/20210918-OYT1T50186/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008133548/https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/science/20210918-OYT1T50186/|script-title=ja:現代日本人、3集団にルーツ…人骨の遺伝情報を解析|language=ja|publisher=[[Yomiuri Shimbun]]|date=September 18, 2021|archive-date=October 8, 2021}}</ref>
According to the [[Book of Song]]. A Chinese emperor appointed [[five kings of Wa]] to the ruler of [[Baekje]] and [[Silla]] in [[421]]. <ref>''[[Book of Song]]'' [http://www.hoolulu.com/zh/25shi/06songshu/t-097.htm] </ref> Yamato links to the Chinese [[Liu Song Dynasty]] in 425 and 478 were facilitated by the maritime knowledge and diplomatic connections of Baekje.{{fact}}


== Results of the Japan-South Korea Joint Historical Research ==
Japan of the Kofun period was very positive towards the introduction of [[Chinese culture]]. [http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0824818520&id=HpgcaKpnuU0C&pg=PA224&lpg=PA224&dq=kofun+korea&sig=MmzEJQoxe4IhzXF84FJdghFxG8E]. Chinese and Korean immigrants played an important role in introducing [[Chinese civilization]] to early Japan.[http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0395652375&id=MziRd4ddZz4C&pg=PA56&lpg=PA56&dq=Kofun+%22chinese+civilization%22&sig=TydOlwxfqIlQOnvU-zdOE0IXHoQ]. Not only are there many material objects from mainland China and Korean peninsula that were exported to Japan such as bronze mirrors, iron, and pottery.
Under an agreement reached at the 2001 Japan-South Korea summit, Japanese and South Korean historians conducted joint historical research in two phases, including the relationship between Japan and the Korean Peninsula during the Kofun period. The point at issue was the "Mimana Nihon-fu" (任那日本府) which was said to be the governing institution Japan established in Korea at that time. After the controversy, Japanese and South Korean historians agreed that there were Japanese in the south of Korea and that the term "Mimana Nihon-fu" was not used at the time and should not be used as it was misleading. However, they could not agree on the position of the Japanese people in Korea at that time. The Japanese side claimed that the institutions established in Korea by the Japanese people were not under the control of Koreans, but were operated independently by the Japanese people and conducted diplomatic negotiations with the Gaya confederacy. On the other hand, the South Korean side claimed that the agency was the diplomatic office of Gaya, which employed the Japanese as bureaucrats of Gaya. The collaboration ended in 2010 with the publication of a final report describing the above. The full text of the minutes concerning the joint research is disclosed by the Japanese side.<ref>[https://www.jkcf.or.jp/projects/2005/18003/ Japan-Korea Joint Historical Research Committee, Japan-Korea Joint Historical Research Report (first period)] The Japan Korea Cultural Foundation</ref><ref>[https://www.jkcf.or.jp/projects/2010/17283/ Japan-Korea Joint Historical Research Committee, Japan-Korea Joint Historical Research Report (second period)] The Japan Korea Cultural Foundation</ref><ref>[https://megalodon.jp/ref/2020-0715-0054-56/https://www.jkcf.or.jp:443/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/1-08j.pdf Japan-Korea Joint Historical Research Committee, Discussion meeting of the first subcommittee, pp.479-484, August 19, 2009] The Japan Korea Cultural Foundation</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150907145414/http://www.47news.jp/CN/201003/CN2010032301000547.html Summary of the Japan-Korea Historical Research Report] 47news, March 23, 2010</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170724181248/http://www.shikoku-np.co.jp/national/detailed_report/article.aspx?id=20100323000314 Summary of the Japan-Korea Historical Research Report] Shikoku News , March 23, 2010</ref>


==Gallery==
[[Image:IshibutaiWithFigureSmallVersion2.jpg|thumb|150px|A late kofun, earthen covering gone.]]
<gallery mode="packed">
Iron working technology was introduced into Japan from Korea around 300.{{fact}} [[Korean peninsula]] was an important source of iron ingots to Japan.{{fact}} The special burial customs of the Koguryo culture had an important influence on other cultures in in Japan. <ref>{{cite web| url=http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1091| title= Complex of Koguryo Tombs| publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre| accessdate=2006-05-31}}</ref> Decorated tombs and painted tumuli which date from the fifth century and later found in Japan are generally accepted as Korean peninsula exports to Japan. The [[Takamatsuzuka Tomb]] even has paintings of woman dressed in distinctive Clothes written in wall painting of Goguryeo and [[Tang Dynasty]].<ref>{{cite book| url=http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&vid=ISBN0824820304&id=dCNioYQ1HfsC&dq=kofun+tumuli+korea&lpg=PA95&pg=PA95&sig=pklpAbfrrspwFUtncGBqMy1dks0| title=Sacred Texts and Buried Treasures: Issues on the Historical Archaeology of Ancient Japan| pages=95}}</ref> <Ref>MSN Encalta
File:Helmet MET DT305558.jpg|alt=See caption|Kofun helmet, iron and gilt copper
http://jp.encarta.msn.com/media_262538992_761577854_-1_1/content.html</ref> And, the astronomy figure of China was being written.
File:Tanko Armor Kofun period 5th century iron plates sewn with leather strings Tokyo National Museum - DSC06388.jpg|alt=see caption|Kofun Tankō (short armor)

File:Iron Tanko Armor, Kofun period, 5th century, from Tsukando Tumulus, Yoshii-machi, Ukiha-shi, Fukuoka, sewn with leather strings - Tokyo National Museum - DSC06395.JPG|alt=Armor covering the torso|Kofun Keikō ([[cuirass]])
==History texts==
File:KofunHelmet.jpg|alt=See caption|Helmet

File:KofunShield.jpg|alt=See caption|Shield
Most scholars agree that the Nihonshoki's the founding date of Japan as 660 BCE is mythical, and the thirteen earliest emperors of Japan are also not based on historical fact. Additionally, the Nihonshoki attributes dates a couple of [[sexagenary cycle]]s (e.g. 120 years or 180 years) of history before they actually happened to make the relatively young Yamato state as respectable as contemporaneous Korean and Chinese states which shows another evidence of bias on the part of the writers.
File:KofunCrown.jpg|alt=See caption|Crown

File:Asuka Museum Keikô.jpg|Restored Kofun period [[lamellar armour]]
While Kojiki and Nihonshoki claim that the Three Kingdoms of Korea paid tribute to the Yamato court, Korean and Chinese records from the period generally suggest a submissive Yamato court in relations with China and Korea (Baekje and Goguryeo).<ref>{{cite book| url=http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&vid=ISBN0774803797&id=7jDuhnI6r9UC&vq=paekche+nihon&dq=paekche+nihon+shoki&lpg=PA62&pg=PA64&sig=NHWp0GJ3PlWYjI_zSE3ZDUPmS3I| pages=64| title=The Six National Histories of Japan: Rikkokushi| first=Taro| last=Sakamoto| id=ISBN 0-7748-0379-7| publisher=UBC Press}}</ref>
</gallery>

[[Samguk Sagi]] (Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms) and [[Samguk Yusa]] (Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms), both written in the Goryeo period of Korea, identify Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla as highly independent and centralized states in comparison to the fledgling Yamato court. They also cite the great deal of Korean culture that was adpted by Wa, which in turn had been adopted by the Three Kingdoms from China. The two records do, however, mention that [[Baekje]] and [[Silla]] sent their princes as [[hostage#Historical hostage practices|hostage]]s to the Yamato court, as they did with each other, China, and Goguryeo, to ensure military support; King [[Asin of Baekje]] sent his son [[Jeonji of Baekje|Jeonji]] in 397<ref name="shiragi">Korean History Record [[Samguk Sagi]] : 三國史記 新羅本紀 : 元年 三月 與倭國通好 以奈勿王子未斯欣爲質 [http://www.koreandb.net/Sam/bon/samkuk/04_030_2000277.htm]</ref> and King [[Silseong of Silla]] sent his son [[Misaheun]] in 402.<ref name="kudara">Korean History Record [[Samguk Sagi]] : 三國史記 百済本紀 : 六年夏五月 王與倭國結好 以太子腆支爲質 秋七月大閱於漢水之南 [http://www.koreandb.net/Sam/bon/samkuk/04_250_2001365.htm]< /ref>


==See also==
==See also==
{{Portal|Ancient Japan}}
{{commons|Category:Kofun}}
*[[History of Japan]]
*[[Japanese clans]]
*[[Tumulus]]
*[[Kuni no miyatsuko]]
*[[Kuni no miyatsuko]]
*[[Kumaso]]
*[[Kumaso]]
*[https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p07lq60x/the-ancient-tombs-kept-under-lock-and-key BBC Reel: The ancient tombs kept under lock and key, 27 August 2019]
*[[Seven-Branched Sword|Shichishito of Isonokami Shirine]]
*[[Gwanggaeto Stele]]
*[[Kofun]]
*[[Five kings of Wa]]
*[[Kofun system]]
*[[Zenpokoenfun]]
{{Clear}}

==Notes==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}


== References ==
==References==
{{Commons category|Kofun period}}
*{{loc}} - [http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/jptoc.html Japan]
* {{cite book
==Notes==
| last = Bogucki
<references/>
| first = Peter
| title = The Origins of Human Society
| publisher = Blackwell Publishing
| year = 1999
| isbn = 1-57718-112-3
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Farris
| first = William Wayne
| title = Sacred Texts and Buried Treasures: Issues in the Historical Archaeology of Ancient Japan
| publisher = University of Hawai'i Press
| year = 1998
| isbn = 0-8248-1966-7
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Imamura
| first = Keiji
| title = Prehistoric Japan: New Perspectives on Insular East Asia
| publisher = University of Hawaii Press
| year = 1996
| isbn = 0-8248-1852-0
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Kōzō
| first = Yamamura
|author2=John Whitney Hall
| title = The Cambridge history of Japan
| publisher = Cambridge University Press
| year = 1997
| isbn = 0-521-22354-7
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Kurano
| first = Kenji
|author2=Yūkichi Takeda
| title = Nihon Koten Bungaku Taikei 1: [[Kojiki]], Norito
| publisher = [[Iwanami Shoten Publishing|Iwanami Shoten]]
| year = 1958
| isbn = 4-00-060001-X
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Saeki
| first = Arikiyo
| title = [[Shinsen Shōjiroku]] no Kenkyū (Honbun hen)
| publisher = Yoshikawa Kōbunkan
| year = 1981
| language = ja
| isbn = 4-642-02109-4
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Sakamoto
| first = Tarō |author2=Ienaga Saburō |author3=Inoue Mitsusada |author4=Ōno Susumu |author4-link=Ōno Susumu | title = Nihon Koten Bungaku Taikei 67: [[Nihon Shoki]]
| volume = 1
| publisher = [[Iwanami Shoten Publishing|Iwanami Shoten]]
| year = 1967
| isbn = 4-00-060067-2
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Seeley
| first = Christopher
| title = A history of writing in Japan
| publisher = University of Hawai'i Press
| year = 2000
| isbn = 0-8248-2217-X
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Stearns
| first = Peter N.
|author2=William Leonard Langer
| title = The Encyclopedia of World History
| publisher = Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
| year = 2001
| isbn = 0-395-65237-5
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Yamaguchi
| first = Yoshinori
|author2=Kōnoshi Takamitsu
| title = Shinpen Nihon Koten Bungaku Zenshū 1: [[Kojiki]]
| publisher = Shōgakukan
| year = 1997
| isbn = 4-09-658001-5
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Yoshida
| first = Takashi
| title = Nihon no tanjō
| publisher = Iwanami Shoten
| year = 1997
| language = ja
| isbn = 4-00-430510-1}}
* {{Country study}}
* [http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/jptoc.html Japan]

==Further reading==
* {{cite book
| last = Mizoguchi
| first = Kaoji
| title = The Archaeology of Japan: From the Earliest Rice Farming Villages to the Rise of the State
| publisher = Cambridge University Press
| year = 2013}}


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''This period is part of the [[Yamato period]] of [[History of Japan|Japanese History]].''
''This period is part of the [[Yamato period]] of [[History of Japan|Japanese History]].''


< [[Yayoi]] | [[History of Japan]] | [[Asuka period]] >
< [[Yayoi]] | [[History of Japan]] | [[Asuka period]] >
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{{Japan topics}}
[[Category:Japanese eras]]

[[Category:Ancient Japan]]
{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Kofun Period}}
[[ar:فترة كوفون]]
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[[Category:Kofun period| ]]
[[Category:Archaeological cultures of East Asia]]
[[nl:Kofun]]
[[Category:3rd century in Japan]]
[[ja:古墳時代]]
[[Category:4th century in Japan]]
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[[Category:5th century in Japan]]
[[pt:Período Kofun]]
[[Category:6th century in Japan]]
[[ru:Период Кофун]]
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[[uk:Період Кофун]]

Latest revision as of 02:43, 23 September 2024

The Kofun period (古墳時代, Kofun jidai) is an era in the history of Japan from about 300 to 538 AD (the date of the introduction of Buddhism), following the Yayoi period. The Kofun and the subsequent Asuka periods are sometimes collectively called the Yamato period. This period is the earliest era of recorded history in Japan, but studies depend heavily on archaeology since the chronology of historical sources tends to be distorted. The word kofun is Japanese for the type of burial mound dating from this era.

It was a period of cultural import. Continuing from the Yayoi period, the Kofun period is characterized by influence from China and the Korean Peninsula; archaeologists consider it a shared culture across the southern Korean Peninsula, Kyūshū and Honshū.[1] On the other hand, the most prosperous keyhole-shaped burial mounds in Japan during this period were approximately 5,000 in Japan from the middle of the 3rd century in the Yayoi period to the 7th century in the Asuka period, and many of them had huge tombs,[2][3] but in the southern Korean Peninsula there were only 13 from the 5th century to the 6th century, and the tombs were small. Wall decorations and Japanese-style armor, which are characteristic of older Japanese burial mounds, were excavated from 5th century burial mounds in the southern Korean Peninsula. This shows that Japan and the southern Korean Peninsula influenced each other.[4][5]

According to the Nihon Shoki, Buddhism and the Chinese writing system were introduced near the end of the period from Baekje. The Kofun period recorded Japan's earliest political centralization, when the Yamato clan rose to power in southwestern Japan, established the Imperial House, and helped control trade routes across the region.[6]

Kofun tombs

[edit]
Animated kofun
Keyhole-shaped kofun drawn in 3DCG (Nakatsuyama Kofun [ja] in Fujiidera, Osaka, 5th century)
Brown jewelry against a light background
Kofun-period jewelry (British Museum)

Kofun (from Middle Chinese 古 "ancient" + bjun 墳 "burial mound")[7][8] are burial mounds built for members of the ruling class from the 3rd to the 7th centuries in Japan,[9] and the Kofun period takes its name from the distinctive earthen mounds. The mounds contained large stone burial chambers, and some are surrounded by moats.

Kofun have four basic shapes: round and square are the most common, followed by 'scallop-shell' and 'keyhole.' The keyhole tomb is a distinct style found only in Japan, with a square front and round back. Kofun range in size from several meters to over 400 meters long, and unglazed pottery figures (Haniwa) were often buried under a kofun's circumference.

Development

[edit]
See caption
Iron tankō armour and helmet, with gilt bronze decoration, 5th century CE (Tokyo National Museum)

The oldest Japanese kofun is reportedly Hokenoyama Kofun in Sakurai, Nara, which dates to the late 3rd century. In the Makimuku district of Sakurai, later keyhole kofuns (Hashihaka Kofun, Shibuya Mukaiyama Kofun) were built during the early 4th century. The keyhole kofun spread from Yamato to Kawachi—with giant kofun, such as Daisenryō Kofun—and then throughout the country during the 5th century. Keyhole kofun disappeared later in the 6th century, probably because of the drastic reformation of the Yamato court; Nihon Shoki records the introduction of Buddhism at this time. The last two great kofun are the 190-metre-long (620 ft) Imashirozuka kofun in Osaka (currently believed by scholars to be the tomb of Emperor Keitai) and the 135-metre long (443 ft) Iwatoyama kofun in Fukuoka, recorded in Fudoki of Chikugo as the tomb of Iwai (political archrival of Emperor Keitai). Kofun burial mounds on the island of Tanegashima and two very old Shinto shrines on the island of Yakushima suggest that these islands were the southern boundary of the Yamato state;[6] it extended north to Tainai in the present-day Niigata Prefecture, where excavated mounds have been associated with a person closely linked to the Yamato kingdom.[10]

Yamato court

[edit]

Yamato rule is usually believed to have begun about 250 AD, and it is generally agreed that Yamato rulers had keyhole-kofun culture and hegemony in Yamato until the 4th century. Autonomy of local powers remained throughout the period, particularly in Kibi (the present-day Okayama Prefecture), Izumo (current Shimane Prefecture), Koshi (current Fukui and Niigata Prefecture), Kenu (northern Kantō), Chikushi (northern Kyūshū), and Hi (central Kyūshū). During the 6th century, the Yamato clans began to dominate the southern half of Japan. According to the Book of Song, Yamato relationships with China probably began in the late 4th century.

The Yamato polity, which emerged by the late 5th century, was distinguished by powerful clans (豪族, gōzoku). Each clan was headed by a patriarch (氏上, Uji-no-kami), who performed sacred rituals to the clan's kami (objects of worship) to ensure its long-term welfare. Clan members were the aristocracy, and the royal line which controlled the Yamato court was at its zenith. Clan leaders were awarded kabane, inherited titles denoting rank and political standing which replaced family names.

The Kofun period is called the Yamato period by some Western scholars, since this local chieftainship became the imperial dynasty at the end of the period. However, the Yamato clan ruled just one polity among others during the Kofun era. Japanese archaeologists emphasise that other regional chieftainships (such as Kibi) were in close contention for dominance in the first half of the Kofun period; Kibi's Tsukuriyama Kofun is Japan's fourth-largest.

Three sword hilts
Gilded sword hilts, late Kofun period, 6th century

The Yamato court exercised power over clans in Kyūshū and Honshū, bestowing titles (some hereditary) on clan chieftains. The Yamato name became synonymous with Japan as Yamato rulers suppressed other clans and acquired agricultural land. Based on Chinese models (including the adoption of the Chinese written language), they began to develop a central administration and an imperial court attended by subordinate clan chieftains with no permanent capital. Powerful clans were the Soga, Katsuragi, Heguri and Koze clans in the Yamato and Bizen Provinces and the Kibi clans in the Izumo Province. The Ōtomo and Mononobe clans were military leaders, and the Nakatomi and Inbe clans handled rituals. The Soga clan provided the government's chief minister, the Ōtomo and Mononobe clans provided secondary ministers, and provincial leaders were called kuni no miyatsuko. Craftsmen were organized into guilds.

Territorial expansion

[edit]
Brown building with an angular roof
Reconstructed Kofun-era warehouse

In addition to archaeological findings indicating a local monarchy in Kibi Province as an important rival, the legend of the 4th-century Prince Yamato Takeru alludes to the borders of the Yamato and battlegrounds in the region; a frontier was near the later Izumo Province (eastern present-day Shimane Prefecture). Another frontier, in Kyūshū, was apparently north of present-day Kumamoto Prefecture. According to the legend, there was an eastern land in Honshū "whose people disobeyed the imperial court" and against whom Yamato Takeru was sent to fight.[citation needed] It is unclear if the rival country was near the Yamato nucleus or further away. Kai Province is mentioned as a location where prince Yamato Takeru traveled on his military expedition.

The period's northern frontier was explained in Kojiki as the legend of Shido Shōgun's (四道将軍, "Shōguns to four ways") expedition. One of four shōguns, Ōbiko set out northward to Koshi and his son Take Nunakawawake left for the eastern states. The father moved east from northern Koshi, and the son moved north;[contradictory] they met at Aizu, in present-day western Fukushima Prefecture. Although the legend is probably not factual, Aizu is near southern Tōhoku (the northern extent of late-4th-century keyhole-kofun culture).

Ōkimi

[edit]
Open tomb, with a person inside for scale
Ishibutai Kofun, a late kofun in Nara Prefecture

During the Kofun period, an aristocratic society with militaristic rulers developed. The period was a critical stage in Japan's evolution into a cohesive, recognized state. The society was most developed in the Kinai region and the eastern Setouchi region. Japan's rulers petitioned the Chinese court for confirmation of royal titles.

While the rulers' title was officially "King", they called themselves "Ōkimi" (大王, "Great King") during this period. Inscriptions on two swords (the Inariyama and Eta Funayama Swords) read Amenoshita Shiroshimesu (治天下; "ruling Heaven and Earth") and Ōkimi, indicating that the rulers invoked the Mandate of Heaven. The title Amenoshita Shiroshimesu Ōkimi was used until the 7th century, when it was replaced by Tennō.

Clans

[edit]

Many of the clans and local chieftains who made up the Yamato polity claimed descent from the imperial family or kami. Archaeological evidence for the clans is found on the Inariyama Sword, on which the bearer recorded the names of his ancestors to claim descent from Ōbiko (大彦, recorded in the Nihon Shoki as a son of Emperor Kōgen). A number of clans claimed origin in China or the Korean Peninsula.

During the 5th century, the Katsuragi clan (葛城氏, descended from the legendary grandson of Emperor Kōgen) was the most prominent power in the court and intermarried with the imperial family. After the clan declined, late in the century, it was replaced by the Ōtomo clan. When Emperor Buretsu died with no apparent heir, Ōtomo no Kanamura recommended Emperor Keitai (a distant imperial relative in Koshi Province) as the new monarch. Kanamura resigned due to the failure of his diplomatic policies, and the court was controlled by the Mononobe and Soga clans at the beginning of the Asuka period.

Society

[edit]

Toraijin

[edit]
See caption
Detail of chariots on a Chinese bronze mirror sent to Japan during the Kofun period. From the Eta-Funayama Tumulus, Kumamoto (Tokyo National Museum)

Toraijin refers to people who immigrated to Japan from abroad via the Ryukyu Islands or the Korean Peninsula. They introduced numerous, significant aspects of Chinese culture to Japan such as Chinese writing system and Buddhism from India. Valuing their knowledge and culture, the Yamato government gave preferential treatment to toraijin.[11] According to the 815 book, Shinsen Shōjiroku, 317 of 1,182 clans in the Kinai region of Honshū were considered to have foreign ancestry. 163 were of Chinese origin (written as "Kan"), 104 from Baekje ("Paekche" in the older romanization), 41 from Goguryeo, 6 from Silla, and 3 from Gaya.[12] They may have immigrated to Japan between 356 and 645.

Influential immigrants

[edit]

Some of the many immigrants that had significant influence in Kofun period Japan included Wani, Yuzuki no Kimi and Achi no Omi, the founders of Kawachinofumi clan/Kawachinoaya clan,[13] Hata clan[14][15] and Yamatonoaya clan,[16][17] respectively. Despite being ethnically similar, many immigrants from Baekje and Silla had arrived in Japan during Emperor Ōjin's reign carrying separate identities and foreign deities such as the kami Inari.[18][19]

Other immigrants who settled in Japan beginning in the 4th century were the progenitors of Japanese clans. According to Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, the oldest record of a Silla immigrant is Amenohiboko: a legendary prince of Silla who settled in Japan at the era of Emperor Suinin, possibly during the 3rd or 4th centuries.

Baekje and Silla sent their princes as hostages to the Yamato court in exchange for military support.[20][21][22][23] King Muryeong of Baekje was born in Kyushu (筑紫) of Japan as the child of a hostage in 462,[24] and left a son in Japan who was an ancestor of the minor-noble Yamato no Fubito (和史, "Scribes of Yamato") clan. According to the Shoku Nihongi (続日本紀), Yamato no Fubito's relative (Takano no Niigasa) was a 10th-generation descendant of King Muryeong of Baekje who was chosen as a concubine for Emperor Kōnin and was the mother of Emperor Kanmu. In 2001, Emperor Akihito confirmed his ancient royal Korean heritage through Emperor Kanmu.[25]

Culture

[edit]

Language

[edit]
Terra-cotta soldier
Haniwa soldier in keiko armor
Terra-cotta horse, with saddle and bridle
Haniwa horse statuette

Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans wrote historical accounts primarily in Chinese characters, making original pronunciation difficult to trace. Although writing was largely unknown to the indigenous Japanese of the period, the literary skills of foreigners seem to have been increasingly appreciated by the Japanese elite. The Inariyama Sword, tentatively dated to 471 or 531, contains a Chinese-character inscription in a style used in China at the time.[26]

Haniwa

[edit]

The cavalry wore armour, carried swords and other weapons, and used advanced military methods similar to those of Northeast Asia. Evidence of the advances is seen in haniwa (埴輪, "clay ring"), clay offerings placed in a ring on and around the tomb mounds of the ruling elite. The most important of these haniwa were found in southern Honshū (especially the Kinai region around Nara Prefecture) and northern Kyūshū. Haniwa grave offerings were sculpted as horses, chickens, birds, fans, fish, houses, weapons, shields, sunshades, pillows, and male and female humans. Another funerary piece, the magatama (勾玉, "curved jewel"), became symbolic of imperial power.

Introduction of material culture

[edit]

Much of the material culture of the Kofun period demonstrates that Japan was in close political and economic contact with continental Asia (especially with the southern dynasties of China) via the Korean Peninsula; bronze mirrors cast from the same mould have been found on both sides of the Tsushima Strait. Irrigation, sericulture, and weaving were brought to Japan by immigrants, who are mentioned in ancient Japanese histories; the Hata clan introduced sericulture and certain types of weaving.[27]

Asuka period

[edit]

The introduction of Buddhism in 538 marked the transition from the Kofun to the Asuka period, which coincided with the reunification of China under the Sui dynasty later in the century. Japan became deeply influenced by Chinese culture, adding a cultural context to the religious distinction between the periods.

Relations with other East Asian kingdoms

[edit]

Chinese records

[edit]

According to the Book of Sui, Silla and Baekje greatly valued relations with the Kofun-period Wa and the Korean kingdoms made diplomatic efforts to maintain their good standing with the Japanese.[28] The Book of Song reported that a Chinese emperor appointed the five kings of Wa in 451 to supervise military Affairs of Wa, Silla, Imna, Gara, Jinhan and Mahan.[29]

Japanese records

[edit]

According to the Nihon Shoki, Silla was conquered by the Japanese Empress-consort Jingū in the third century.[30] However, due to lack of evidence,[31] this story is considered to be mythological in nature. It reported that the prince of Silla came to Japan to serve the emperor of Japan,[32] and lived in Tajima Province. Known as Amenohiboko, his descendant is Tajima Mori.[33] According to Kojiki[34] and Nihon Shoki,[35] Geunchogo of Baekje presented stallions, broodmares and trainers to the Japanese emperor during Emperor Ōjin's reign.[36]

According to Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, Baekje had also sent a scholar by the name of Wani during the reign of Emperor Ōjin. He is said to be the pioneer of the introduction of the Chinese writing system to Japan.

Korean records

[edit]

The Samguk sagi (Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms) reported that Baekje and Silla sent their princes as hostages to the Yamato court in exchange for military support to continue their military campaigns; King Asin of Baekje sent his son (Jeonji) in 397,[37] and King Silseong of Silla sent his son Misaheun in 402.[38] Hogong, from Japan, helped to found Silla.[39]

Genetics

[edit]

In mid 2021, The Nikkei published a new finding of the genetic makeup of modern Japanese and found much of Japanese make-up could be divided into two major groups, one being "Jomon" and the other being "Toraijin", a group of people who entered Japan following the Jomon people.[40] Jun Ohashi, the lead researcher and professor at Tokyo University, explained that 50 people's genetic samples were collected from each prefecture from a total of 47.[40]

The study explained that the Toraijin, who entered the Japanese archipelago from the southern Korean peninsula after the Yayoi people (who used the same route), were concentrated in a specific region of Japan contrary to popular belief. The researchers were intrigued that the genomes found in Kinki, Hokuriku, and Shikoku regions were mostly made up of Toraijin while the rest were mostly composed of Jomon strands. Professor Ohashi said "In northern Kyushu, the population of migrants did not increase much even after landing, but rather the population expanded in areas such as Shikoku and Kinki."[40]

Archaeological sites in Aichi Prefecture have revealed that Jomon people and Toraijin coexisted for a long time throughout the Yayoi period. The differences between prefectures that remain in the modern Japanese archipelago as seen in this analysis may reflect events that no one knows yet that occurred in the process of mixed races during the Yayoi period.[40]

A study published in the journal Science Advances found that the people of Japan bore genetic signatures from three ancient populations rather than just two as previously thought.[41] The study states that in addition to the previously discovered Jōmon and Yayoi strands, a new strand was hypothesized to have been introduced during the Yayoi-Kofun transition period that had strong cultural and political affinity with Korea and China.[42] This group was classified under the "East Asian" ancestry, which was represented by the northern Han Chinese in Beijing.[43] It is believed that modern Japanese people are composed of Jōmon, Northeast Asian (Yayoi) and the newly discovered East Asian ancestries.[41] The Nikkei published an article that showed the Kofun strand in modern day Japanese was concentrated in specific regions such as Kinki, Hokuriku and Shikoku.[44]

Strong cultural and political affinity between Japan, Korea and China is also observable from several imports, including Chinese mirrors and coins, Korean raw materials for iron production, and Chinese characters inscribed on metal implements.[45] Several lines of archaeological evidence support the introduction of new large settlements to Japan, most likely from the southern Korean peninsula, during the Yayoi-Kofun cultural transition,[46] which could reflect the general route taken by the Kofun people. However, a study that examines the genetic relationship between ancient Korea and the Kofun period is yet to be made.

The researchers noted that ancestral heterogeneity exists across Japan today, which is not fully captured by this standard reference set.[45] They also stated that with the limited resources they had as only three Kofun skeletons were available for examination, there are still many more questions that need to be answered. "The Kofun individuals sequenced were not buried in keyhole-shaped mounds [reserved for high-ranking individuals], which implies that they were lower-ranking people", Nakagome said. "To see if this East Asian ancestry played a key role in the transition, we need to sequence people with a higher rank."[46]

The study is known to be the most comprehensive analysis of the Japanese archipelago published to date.[47] Daniel G. Bradley, co-leader of the research project, said, "Our insights into the complex origins of modern-day Japanese once again shows the power of ancient genomics to uncover new information about human prehistory that could not be seen otherwise."[48]

Takashi Gakuhari, a researcher conducting the experiment and a professor at Kanazawa University, explained in an interview with Ishikawa TV that mostly 40%[49] of modern Japanese genetic ancestry was found to come from migrants that arrived during the Kofun period, somewhat contradicting the aforementioned study. However, he remained confident that the Kofun strand played a large factor in Japanese genetics today.[49]

Following the publication, an interview with the research team was conducted by The Asahi Shimbun, in which the team explained that the remains of only three Kofun people excavated in Kanazawa City were used to study the genes of Kofun people and that it is necessary to study the genes of the remains of many other people in order to confirm the new hypothesis.[50] Takashi Gakuhari said that this is the first study to provide evidence that the genome of the Japanese contains three ancestral groups: Jomon, Yayoi, and Kofun. He also said he would like to continue to study the mysterious origin of the Japanese people by examining the genomes of other ancient burial sites.[50]

Kenichi Shinoda, director of the National Museum of Nature and Science, added that the genetic information of the Yayoi people varies by region and time period with examples similar to that of modern Japanese people. In order to clarify the results, he said it is necessary to increase the number of human bones to be analyzed.[51]

Results of the Japan-South Korea Joint Historical Research

[edit]

Under an agreement reached at the 2001 Japan-South Korea summit, Japanese and South Korean historians conducted joint historical research in two phases, including the relationship between Japan and the Korean Peninsula during the Kofun period. The point at issue was the "Mimana Nihon-fu" (任那日本府) which was said to be the governing institution Japan established in Korea at that time. After the controversy, Japanese and South Korean historians agreed that there were Japanese in the south of Korea and that the term "Mimana Nihon-fu" was not used at the time and should not be used as it was misleading. However, they could not agree on the position of the Japanese people in Korea at that time. The Japanese side claimed that the institutions established in Korea by the Japanese people were not under the control of Koreans, but were operated independently by the Japanese people and conducted diplomatic negotiations with the Gaya confederacy. On the other hand, the South Korean side claimed that the agency was the diplomatic office of Gaya, which employed the Japanese as bureaucrats of Gaya. The collaboration ended in 2010 with the publication of a final report describing the above. The full text of the minutes concerning the joint research is disclosed by the Japanese side.[52][53][54][55][56]

[edit]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Barnes, Gina L. The Archaeology of East Asia: The Rise of Civilization in China, Korea and Japan (Oxford: Oxbow books, 2015), 271-275; 331-360
  2. ^ Kazuo Hirose (March 2009). "A consideration of reconstructing our image of the Kofun period: does the period of keyhole tombs predate the Ritsuryo state?". 国立歴史民俗博物館研究報告 = Bulletin of the National Museum of Japanese History. 150. Bulletin of the National Museum of Japanese History. doi:10.15024/00001685. Archived from the original on 8 February 2022.
  3. ^ Kazuo Yanagisawa (2007). "前方後円墳". 東アジア考古学辞典. Tokyodo Shuppan. ISBN 978-4490107128.
  4. ^ Kanta Takata. "An Analysis of the Background of Japanese-style Tombs Builtin the Southwestern Korean Peninsula in the Fifth and Sixth Centuries". Bulletin of the National Museum of Japanese History. Archived from the original on 4 April 2022.
  5. ^ Park Cheon-Soo (March 2010). 朝鮮半島南部に倭人が造った前方後円墳 : 古代九州との国際交流. Archived from the original on 4 April 2022.
  6. ^ a b Denoon, Donald et al. (2001). Multicultural Japan: Palaeolithic to Postmodern, p. 107., p. 107, at Google Books
  7. ^ "古". Jisho.org.
  8. ^ "墳". Jisho.org.
  9. ^ Keally, Charles T. (2009-04-29). "Kofun Culture". Retrieved 2009-05-30.
  10. ^ "Yamato kingdom traces found in Niigata Pref". Daily Yomiuri Online. September 17, 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2012.
  11. ^ Kōzō, Yamamura; John Whitney Hall (1997). The Cambridge history of Japan. Cambridge University Press. p. 311. ISBN 0-521-22354-7.
  12. ^ Saeki (1981)
  13. ^ Takaoka, Nobuyuki; 片岡, 伸行 (2023-07-31). "神々のルーツ 明日香の地と「今木神」 – 全日本民医連". www.min-iren.gr.jp (in Japanese). Japan Federation of Democratic Medical Institutions (全日本民主医療機関連合会).
  14. ^ "都市史01 ~秦氏~" [History of the City 01 ~Hata clan~]. Kyoto City (in Japanese).
  15. ^ "「伊奈利社創祀前史」 ~伏見稲荷大社~". inari.jp.
  16. ^ 森浩一, 門脇禎二 (1997). 渡来人 : 尾張・美濃と渡来文化. 春日井シンポジウム (in Japanese). 大巧社. ISBN 4924899232. JPNO 99011294.
  17. ^ 『古代国家と天皇』創元社、1957年
  18. ^ Higo, Kazuo. "Inari Shinkō no Hajime". Inari Shinkō (ed. Hiroji Naoe). Tokyo: Yūzankaku Shuppan, 1983.
  19. ^ "「おいなりさん物語」 ~伏見稲荷大社~". Fushimi Inari Taisha (in Japanese).
  20. ^ Brown, Delmer M. (1993). The Cambridge History of Japan: Ancient Japan. Cambridge University Press. p. 141. ISBN 0-521-22352-0. Faced with this comeback by Koguryo, Paekche leaders turned to Yamato for military support, even sending its crown prince to Yamato as a hostage in 397 – just as Silla had dispatched princely hostage to Koguryo in 392 when that kingdom was in dire need of military support.
  21. ^ Pratt, Keith (2007). Everlasting Flower: A History of Korea. Reaktion Books. p. 42. ISBN 978-1-86189-335-2. We can only guess, for example, what it felt like for the girls periodically sent as brides to foreign courts, for the crown prince of Paekche when he was dispatched to the Yamato court as a hostage in AD 397, or for a Silla prince who experienced the same fate in 402.
  22. ^ The New Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica. 2003. p. 279. ISBN 0-85229-961-3. Paekche was frequently attacked by Koguryo during the century, prompting continued requests for assistance from Yamato; it is recorded that Paekche even sent a crown prince to Yamato as a hostage on one occasion and the mother of the king on another. Yet, probably because of internal dissension, Yamato did not dispatch any troops to the peninsula. Yamato's interest in Korea was apparently a desire for access to improved continental technology and resources, especially iron.
  23. ^ Henthorn, William E. (1971). A history of Korea. Free Press. p. 37. ISBN 9780029144602. In 402, Silla concluded a peace with the Wa. Prince Misahun was then sent to Japan as a hostage. This may have been an act of revenge by the Silla monarch, who, as Prince Silsong, had been sent as hostage to Koguryo by Prince Misahun's father. Despite the peace, Silla–Wa relations were never friendly, due no doubt in part to the Wa–Kaya alliance.
  24. ^ Nihon Shoki Vol.14 "Chronicle of Emperor Yūryaku" 六月丙戌朔 孕婦果如加須利君言 於Chikuzen Province (筑紫) 各羅嶋産兒 仍名此兒曰嶋君 於是 軍君即以一船 送嶋君於國 是爲King Muryeong of Baekje (武寧王) 百濟人呼此嶋曰主嶋也
  25. ^ "The emperor's new roots". the Guardian. 2001-12-28. Retrieved 2022-12-02.
  26. ^ Seeley (2000:19-23)
  27. ^ 国語大辞典 (Kokugo Dai Jiten Dictionary) (in Japanese) (新装版 (Revised Edition) ed.), Tokyo: Shogakukan, 1988, 姓氏。古代の有力帰化系氏族。出自は諸説あるが、おそらく五世紀に渡来した中国人の子孫で、養蚕・機織の技術をもって朝廷に仕え、伴造(とものみやつこ)の一員として秦造(はたのみやつこ)を称したと思われる。
    Surname. Influential immigrant clan in ancient times. Various theories about origins, but most likely descendants of Chinese immigrants who came to Japan in the fifth century, who are thought to have brought sericulture and weaving technologies and served in the imperial court, and to have been granted the title Hata no Miyatsuko as members of the Tomo no Miyatsuko [an imperial rank responsible for overseeing technically skilled artisans].
  28. ^ Chinese History Record Book of Sui, Vol. 81, Liezhuan 46 : 隋書 東夷伝 第81巻列伝46 : 新羅、百濟皆以倭為大國,多珍物,並敬仰之,恆通使往來 "Silla and Baekje both take Wa to be a great country, with many rare and precious things; also [Silla and Baekje] respect and look up to them, and regularly send embassies there." [1]"Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2004-12-21. Retrieved 2006-04-29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  29. ^ Chinese History Record Book of Song : 宋書 列傳第五十七 夷蠻 : 詔除武使持節、都督倭新羅任那加羅秦韓慕韓六國諸軍事、安東大將軍、倭王。興死,弟武立,自稱使持節、都督倭百濟新羅任那加羅秦韓慕韓七國諸軍事、安東大將軍、倭國王 [2] Archived 2015-10-13 at the Wayback Machine[3] Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine
  30. ^ Sakamoto (1967:336-340)
  31. ^ Joanna Rurarz (2014). Historia Korei (in Polish). Wydawnictwo Akademickie Dialog. p. 89. ISBN 9788363778866.
  32. ^ Nihon Shoki, Vol.6 "天日槍對曰 僕新羅國主之子也 然聞日本國有聖皇 則以己國授弟知古而化歸(to serve)之"
  33. ^ Nihon Shoki, Vol.6 "故天日槍娶但馬出嶋人 太耳女麻多烏 生但馬諸助也 諸助生但馬日楢杵 日楢杵生清彦 清彦生田道間守也"
  34. ^ 百濟國主照古王遣阿知吉師獻雄馬雌馬各壹以貢上此阿知吉師者 阿直史等之祖
  35. ^ 十五年秋八月 壬戌朔丁卯 百濟王遣阿直岐 貢良馬二匹 即養於輕阪上廄 因以阿直岐令掌飼 故號其養馬之處曰 廄阪
  36. ^ Kurano (1958:248-249)
  37. ^ Korean History Record Samguk Sagi : 三國史記 新羅本紀 : 元年 三月 與倭國通好 以奈勿王子未斯欣爲質 [4]
  38. ^ Korean History Record Samguk Sagi : 三國史記 百済本紀 : 六年夏五月 王與倭國結好 以太子腆支爲質 秋七月大閱於漢水之南 "아신왕 - 삼국사기 백제본기- 디지털한국학". Archived from the original on 2008-05-12. Retrieved 2008-05-12.
  39. ^ Korean History Record Samguk Sagi :三國史記 卷第一 新羅本紀第一 始祖赫居世, 瓠公者 未詳其族姓 本倭人
  40. ^ a b c d Nikkei Science (2021-06-23). "渡来人、四国に多かった? ゲノムが明かす日本人ルーツ". nikkei.com. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
  41. ^ a b Cooke NP, Mattiangeli V, Cassidy LM, Okazaki K, Stokes CA, Onbe S, et al. (September 2021). "Ancient genomics reveals tripartite origins of Japanese populations". Science Advances. 7 (38): eabh2419. Bibcode:2021SciA....7.2419C. doi:10.1126/sciadv.abh2419. PMC 8448447. PMID 34533991.
  42. ^ Cooke 2021: "Several lines of archaeological evidence support the introduction of new large settlements to Japan, most likely from the southern Korean peninsula, during the Yayoi-Kofun transition. Strong cultural and political affinity between Japan, Korea, and China is also observable from several imports, including Chinese mirrors and coins, Korean raw materials for iron production, and Chinese characters inscribed on metal implements (e.g., swords)."
  43. ^ Cooke 2021: "In contrast, the Kofun individuals all belong to mitochondrial haplogroups that are common in present-day East Asians. [...] East Asian ancestry in the latter model was represented by Han Chinese in Beijing, China"
  44. ^ Nikkei Science (23 June 2021). "渡来人、四国に多かった? ゲノムが明かす日本人ルーツ" [Were there many migrants in Shikoku? Japanese roots revealed by genome analysis]. nikkei.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  45. ^ a b Cooke 2021.
  46. ^ a b "Ancient bones reveal previously unknown Japanese ancestors". Live Science. 20 September 2021.
  47. ^ "Ancient DNA Rewrites Japanese History". Genomics Research from Technology Networks. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  48. ^ "Ancient DNA rewrites early Japanese history—modern day populations have tripartite genetic origin".
  49. ^ a b "のっぺり薄い顔…新たな日本人のルーツ「古墳人」発見 現代人の半数に及ぶ影響【石川発】". フジニュースネットワーク. 2021-10-14.
  50. ^ a b 日本人の「完成」は古墳時代だった? DNAを分析、ルーツに新説 (in Japanese). The Asahi Shimbun. September 18, 2021. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022.
  51. ^ 現代日本人、3集団にルーツ…人骨の遺伝情報を解析 (in Japanese). Yomiuri Shimbun. September 18, 2021. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021.
  52. ^ Japan-Korea Joint Historical Research Committee, Japan-Korea Joint Historical Research Report (first period) The Japan Korea Cultural Foundation
  53. ^ Japan-Korea Joint Historical Research Committee, Japan-Korea Joint Historical Research Report (second period) The Japan Korea Cultural Foundation
  54. ^ Japan-Korea Joint Historical Research Committee, Discussion meeting of the first subcommittee, pp.479-484, August 19, 2009 The Japan Korea Cultural Foundation
  55. ^ Summary of the Japan-Korea Historical Research Report 47news, March 23, 2010
  56. ^ Summary of the Japan-Korea Historical Research Report Shikoku News , March 23, 2010

References

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Further reading

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  • Mizoguchi, Kaoji (2013). The Archaeology of Japan: From the Earliest Rice Farming Villages to the Rise of the State. Cambridge University Press.

This period is part of the Yamato period of Japanese History.

< Yayoi | History of Japan | Asuka period >