Kofun Terminology

Please check here if you’d like to know the meaning of any kofun words.

Excavated earth was heaped up to make a mound, and the site excavated became hori or a moat. Tsudo-Shiroyama Kofun in Furuichi Kofungun has a tiny isle in the moat, and a water bird-shaped haniwa was found around the top of the isle. Since the place it was unearthed was approximately 1.5 meter from the bottom of the moat, it appears that, back then, the moat was quite shallow.
Shapes of moat differ, depending on the time of kofun construction and shapes of kofun. Kofun-shaped, shield-shaped, and horseshoe-shaped are among them.

Zenpo-bu is the square part of keyhole-shaped kofun. Its shape gradually changed through the Kofun period. It became higher and wider with the time passing. In some cases, one or more burial facilities were made there. It is considered that the person buried there was in close relation with the main occupant of the kofun.
Koen-bu is the round part of keyhole-shaped kofun. The entombed person there was most likely the main occupant. There are some kofun with more than two burial facilities at the rear round part.
The word Zenpo-koen-fun was named by Gamo Kunpei, a scholar in the Edo period, with the idea that its shape resembles to the shape of ancient ox carriage. He thought that the part pulled by horses or cows is the front and the passengers’ seat is the back. However, this type of carriage did not exist during the Kofun period, and so, today’s study does not recognize the ox carriage as the origin of the keyhole-shaped kofun.

Tsukuridashi is the protruded area between the front square part and the rear round part if zenpo-koen-fun is considered, and if en-pun (round kofun) or ho-fun (square kofun), then, the square portion stuck to the main body.
Items, such as house- and equipment-shaped haniwa, tableware, food made of clay, and pots, were often placed there. Therefore, it is considered that tsukuridashi was used for rituals.

Hisosha means the person who is deceased and buried.
It is not necessary that each kofun has only one hisosha. There are some kofun which might have more than two hisosha.
Hisosha means the person who is deceased and buried.
It is not necessary that each kofun has only one hisosha. There are some kofun which might have more than two hisosha.

Furuichi Kofungun is a group of kofun mounded tombs stretching over Habikino City and Fujiidera City. It contains the second largest in Japan, Ojin-tenno-ryo Kofun. Construction of Furuichi Kofungun was about the same time as of Mozu Kofungun. Large kofun were built alternately in both groups. As for the relation between those groups, there are various hypotheses.