Beyond the Burial Mounds
Dates: 300 BC - 538 AD 838 years
Kofun Period Key features:
First part of the Yamato Period.
Large Earthen Mounds / Tombs
We see the rise of a new social order
The development of the Yamato Court
Formal relations between the Japanese archipelago and the Korean Peninsula became better documented.
In Japan, we see the rise of the Soga clan and the downfall of Buretsu Tenno
The Kofun period is characterized by the appearance of large earthen mounds and Megalithic structures that served as tombs. From this, historians and archaeologists project that there needed to be an increase in the organization of labor and resources that were needed to create them. The Kofun Period gets its name from these structures: Kofun- Old Tombs.
The social complexity that developed during this period was very likely a direct result and continuation of the Yayoi period. The new population, technology, and agriculture along with continental forms of social organization mixed with the Jomon populations to create a unique social and cultural environment in the Japanese archipelago.
The population of the Japanese archipelago bloomed and was supported by the spread of rice agriculture.
The Be and the Uji.
The Be (beh) were initially formed by family trade specialists who made non-agricultural products, such as salt, charcoal, lumber, pottery, or jewelry. The term may have been retroactively applied to these groups of people to establish traditions and justify future social order by the Uji groups. The Uji have been historically identified as the groups of ruling people who controlled agricultural production. This understanding of the Uji establishes them as a kind of government that utilized their rice fields and military capacities to exercise control over geographical territories.
The governments of this period were local and small more closely akin to chiefdoms than to states as we know them today. The Yamato chiefdom was one of many chiefdoms that vied for power and dominance throughout the Japanese archipelago. During the Kofun period, the Japanese archipelago would have been known as Wa to those on the Chinese continent and the Korean peninsula before the name Japan or Nippon was coined.
Yamato Court
The Seat of the Yamato Court was a meeting place, established by the powerful Yamato Clan who gained the allegiance of other clans in the surrounding territories. It was established in the Nara Basin and expanded to encompass greater and greater territories throughout time.
The Yamato Court traditionally begins in the Yayoi period on Feb 11th 660 BCE with the first emperor, emperor Jinmu.
The first “probably” real emperor was Ojin Tenno who later ascended and became the Shinto God of War Hachiman. This alludes to the nature of politics in the Kofun period.
The Nihongi states that members of the Yamato Court held land in the Gaya confederacy. The territory in question is very likely to have been private land holdings held by powerful clans that had familial and political ties to the Korean peninsula. The same is likely true of Gaya clans, holding territories in the Japanese archipelago. There are records of Princes from the Korean peninsula being born and raised partly in the Japanese Archipelago, illustrating the closeness between these two regions.
This point of Gaya land being controlled by members of the Yamato court has been a point of contention throughout Japanese and Korean history. The Japanese state has used this to help justify the many military campaigns it has launched against the Korean peninsula throughout time. The historical reality is that due to the close relationship between the populations of both these areas, there were likely strong relationships between the Gaya Confederacy and the Yamato court members.
The Kofuns’ large Key-Hole Shaped earthen mounds began to appear in the Yamato region but also throughout Honshu as well as on the continent in the kingdoms on the Korean peninsula in Silla, Gaya, and Baekje. This further establishes strong cultural connections between the peninsula and the Archipelago. The wide distribution of Kofun also highlights the areas of Yamato influence throughout Honshu.
Kofun was built throughout the coastal lands of most of Japan a total of 161,560 have been identified. The regions that have the most are. Hyōgo Prefecture has the most of all prefectures (16,577 sites), and Chiba Prefecture has the second most (13,112 sites
The largest Kofun is The Nintoku-tennō-ryō Kofun in Osaka, measuring in at just under 1,600 feet or 486 meters long.
The smallest is about 10 meters in diameter and lacks the characteristic keyhole shape.
The SOGA Clan
he Soga Clan took the central stage throughout the Kofun and Asuka periods. The story of the Soga Clan was the defining storyline of the Yamato Period and sets the groundwork for Japan to exist. The earliest known members of the Soga clan were descendants of emperor Kogen and were a minor branch of the Yamato clan. The clan also had its roots in both the kingdoms of Baekje and Gogryeo. They maintained their strong connections with the Korean peninsula after establishing themselves in the Nara basin.
Many Soga clan members came directly from the Korean peninsula with members being identified directly from both Baekje and Gogryeo, but they may likely have also had connections to the Gaya Confederacy as well in the South Korean peninsula. Once they came to Japan, they did not break ties with their family back on the Korean Peninsula. They used those ties to establish themselves as one of the most powerful and influential forces on the islands. They maintained trade and open communication and there was a flux of migrants between the two areas for hundreds of years. The strong continued relationship may in part, be related to the possible linguistic connections between southern Proto-Korean languages and early Japanese.
In the Nihongi (NihonShoki), they first appear to assist the Yamato family in putting down a rebellion. Although this may very well be understood as a campaign of conquest. This established the Soga relation to the Yamato court and their military prowess.
The Soga Clan would later use their power and influence to import Mahayana Buddhism from the continent. This would cause problems and stir up conflict with other power clans such as the Mononobe, Oe, and Nakatomi who saw Buddhism and other continental cultural imports as an affront to their proto-Shinto traditions and sources of authority.
The Kofun Schisms
Buretsu / Keitai
Towards the end of the Kofun period, there was a schism in the Yamato court. The Yamato Ruler, Buretsu Tenno is said to have lived an evil life after being corrupted by his wife. After the Death of Buretsu, a distant relative from a far branch was chosen to take the central seat of the Yamato court. According to the Nihongi, this was orchestrated by the leader of the Kanamura Clan. The new Tenno would be Keitai Tenno the king of Koshi.
Keitai consolidated power and strips the overseas land holdings of court members and gifts them to the Beakje state.
The Sons of Keitai
When Keitai Passed his three sons vied for power. Ankan, Senka and Kinmei. The traditional narrative is that they each successively took the seat but many historians question this narrative and it is commonly understood that there was a conflict between the three brothers. Eventually Kinmei, would become emperor Kinmei and enjoy the longest rule.
With a potential military victory over Ankan and Senka, Kinmei becomes the head of the Yamato court thanks to the council and military support of the Soga Clan, the Mononobe Clan, and the Kanamura Clan. The same families who helped put Keitai at the head of the Yamato court.
And so, this ends the Kofun period. The capital of Yamato moved to the Asuka region of Yamato beginning the Askuka period. (not very creative with names)
If you have any comments, would like to add something we missed or present any updates on the content, we’d love to hear from you!
Let us know and we can update the page or add one. Please send your update to: InCredibleDiscourse@gmail.com for review and we should be getting back to you shortly after.
Next Period ---> Asuka Period
Comentários