The is a group of Kofun period burial mounds, located in the Nara-cho neighborhood of the city of Numata, Gunma in the Kantō region of Japan. The tumulus cluster was designated a Gunma Prefecture Historic Site in 2020, and 280 artifacts recovered from the site were collectively designated a Tangible Cultural Properties of Numata City in 1977.
Overview This group of burial mounds was constructed on a gently sloping river terrace (approximately 430 meters above sea level) on the north bank of the Usune River in northern Gunma Prefecture. Once known as "Nara's Hundred Mounds," it contained a large number of -style round burial mounds, with 59 identified in a 1955 survey. However, many mounds, mainly in the western half, were destroyed during subsequent housing development projects, leaving only 13 remaining today.
All of the burial mounds are small and have horizontal-entry stone burial chambers as burial facilities. In particular, the burial chamber of Tumulus No. 10, located at the eastern end of the tumulus group, has a rare "T"-shaped floor plan, a design unique in Japan. The grave goods unearthed from the tumuli are notable for their abundance of horse trappings. The construction period of this necropolis is estimated to be the 7th century, towards the end of the Kofun period. This suggests that horse breeding, introduced in the southeastern foothills of Mount Haruna in the 5th century (mid-Kofun period), expanded to northern Kōzuke Province by the 7th century. Therefore, this tumulus group is considered important for understanding the expansion of horse demand and the development of the horse breeding system at that time.
The tumulus group area was designated a Gunma Prefecture Historic Site in 2020, and the unearthed artifacts were designated Numata City Important Cultural Properties in 1977.
+Nara Kofun Cluster Name Image TypeScaleBurial FacilityBurial ChamberConstructionRemarksTumulus No. 1EnpunEast-West 12.5mNorth-South 14.0mDouble-chambered Horizontal Stone Chamber Late 7th Century Sue ware shard, human bonesTumulus No. 2Enpun13.0m east-west11.5m north-southDouble-chambered horizontal stone chamber Late 7th century Sue ware shardsTumulus No. 3Enpun14.0m east-west15.0m north-southDouble-chambered horizontal stone chamber Late 7th centuryTumulus No. 4Enpun10.5m east-west12.5m north-southDouble-chambered horizontal stone chamber Late 7th CenturyTumulus No. 7Enpun14.6m north-southDouble-chambered horizontal stone chamber Early 7th centuryLargest in the tumulus groupTumulus No. 8Enpun6.0m east-west8.5m north-southHorizontal stone chamber Tumulus No. 9Enpun6.9m east-west8.4m north-southDouble-chambered horizontal stone chamber Early 7th CenturyTumulus No. 10EnpunEast-West 11.0mNorth-South 12.0mT-shaped Horizontal Stone Chamber Early 7th CenturyT-shaped Stone ChamberTumulus No. 11EnpunEast-West 8.0-10.0mNorth-South 12.0-13.0mDouble-chambered Horizontal Stone Chamber Late 7th Century
The tumulus is approximately 15 kilometers southeast of Jōmōkōgen Station on the Hokuriku Shinkansen.
See also List of Historic Sites of Japan (Gunma)
References
External links