Tag - kofun

 
 

KOFUN

Asuka was one of Japan's earliest imperial capitals before the court eventually decamped for other locales.
LIFE / Travel
Jul 6, 2024
Cycling through Asuka, the forgotten capital of ancient Japan
During the Yamato Period (300-710), this village was one of the earliest capitals of the nascent Yamato state, even meriting its own aptly named Asuka Period (552-645).
Archaeologists say a 1,600-year-old wooden coffin at the Tomio Maruyama tumulus in the city of Nara was kept in good condition probably because it was protected by a layer of clay and copper ions that had seeped out of the mirrors that were buried together.
JAPAN / History / FOCUS
May 9, 2024
How the discovery of a giant sword in Nara offers clues into ancient Japan
Experts say a series of surprise finds at the burial mound could help untangle the many mysteries surrounding the rulers of fourth-century Japan.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Oct 13, 2023
One of the world’s most common cockroaches may have origins in Japan
The discovery marks what could be the first evidence of the presence of the species during Japan’s Kofun Period.
JAPAN
Dec 9, 2022
Archaeologists unearth largest wooden 'haniwa' statue ever found in Japan
The remains of a 3.5-meter-tall wooden haniwa statue were found Thursday at one of the ancient kofun burial mounds making up the Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Habikino, in Osaka Prefecture.
JAPAN
Aug 23, 2019
Japan's UNESCO sites struggle to cultivate cultural cachet while keeping urban bustle at bay
An observation deck on the 21st floor of Osaka's Sakai City Hall provides visitors with a bird's-eye view of the surrounding area. In the midst of the urban jungle a few kilometers away, a large patch of greenery in the distance looks out of place amid the sea of modern buildings, like a public park...
JAPAN
Aug 22, 2017
Osaka's ancient burial mounds eyed for World Heritage status but clear explanations elude
The government's decision in late July to nominate a group of 49 ancient burial sites in southern Osaka Prefecture for UNESCO World Heritage status has raised local hopes for a major boost in international prestige and tourism appeal.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
May 14, 2016
A landscape of life and death in Kyushu
Despite my short stature, I have to bend nearly in half to enter the underground chamber of reconstructed fifth-century tomb in the Kumamoto Prefecture Decorative Tumulus Museum. The entire tomb is modeled after an actual mound in the nearby city of Yamaga, and inside the chamber, a replica stone altar...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Apr 11, 2015
Sakai: a keyhole to the history of Osaka
As I peered out the window from my vantage point on the 21st floor of the Sakai City Hall, in the distance I could see Abeno Harukas — Japan's tallest skyscraper, which houses a train station, hotel, museum, department store and offices. But this modern curiosity was not what I was looking for. I was...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jun 7, 2014
Iki Island: the stones and stories that keep paradise from floating away
Legend has it that many years ago the pretty little island of Iki was not connected to the seafloor. Instead, it floated around at the whim of the currents, presumably bobbing back and forth between Japan, China and the Korean Peninsula.

Longform

Japan's growing ranks of centenarians are redefining what it means to live in a super-aging society.
What comes after 100?