Editing Kofun period (section)

===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, 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 ''"[[Okimi|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]]''.