Editing Kofun period

{{short description|Period of Japanese history from 300 to 538}}
{{History of Japan |periods|image=NintokuTomb Aerial photograph 2007.jpg|caption=[[Daisen Kofun|Daisen-Kofun]], the tomb of [[Emperor Nintoku]] in [[Osaka]], one of the [[Mozu kofungun]]}}
The {{nihongo|'''Kofun period'''|古墳時代|Kofun jidai}} is an era in the [[history of Japan]] from about 300 to 538 AD (the date of the introduction of [[Buddhism]]), following the [[Yayoi period]]. The Kofun and the subsequent [[Asuka period]]s are sometimes collectively called the [[Yamato period]]. This period is the earliest era of [[recorded history]] in Japan, but studies depend heavily on archaeology since the chronology of historical sources tends to be distorted. ''[[Kofun]]'' is Japanese for the type of [[tumulus|burial mound]] dating from this era.

It was a period of cultural import. Continuing from the Yayoi period, the Kofun period is characterized by influence from [[China]] and the [[Korean Peninsula]]; archaeologists consider it a shared culture across the southern Korean Peninsula, [[Kyūshū]] and [[Honshū]].<ref>Barnes, Gina L. The Archaeology of East Asia: The Rise of Civilization in China, Korea and Japan (Oxford: Oxbow books, 2015), 271-275; 331-360</ref> On the other hand, the most prosperous keyhole-shaped burial mounds in Japan during this period were approximately 5,000 in Japan from the middle of the 3rd century in the Yayoi period to the 7th century in the Asuka period, and many of them had huge tombs,<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://ci.nii.ac.jp/naid/120005836992/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220208011845/https://ci.nii.ac.jp/naid/120005836992/|title=A consideration of reconstructing our image of the Kofun period: does the period of keyhole tombs predate the Ritsuryo state?|author=Kazuo Hirose|journal=国立歴史民俗博物館研究報告 = Bulletin of the National Museum of Japanese History |publisher=[[Bulletin of the National Museum of Japanese History]]|date=March 2009|volume=150 |doi=10.15024/00001685 |archive-date=8 February 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|author=Kazuo Yanagisawa|year=2007|chapter=前方後円墳|title=東アジア考古学辞典|publisher=Tokyodo Shuppan|isbn=978-4490107128}}</ref> but in the southern Korean Peninsula there were only 13 from the 5th century to the 6th century, and the tombs were small. Wall decorations and Japanese-style armor, which are characteristic of older Japanese burial mounds, were excavated from 5th century burial mounds in the southern Korean Peninsula. This shows that Japan and the southern Korean Peninsula influenced each other.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://rekihaku.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=repository_action_common_download&item_id=2422&item_no=1&attribute_id=22&file_no=1|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220404051242/https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache%3APN5bUQ1G2VAJ%3Ahttps%3A%2F%2Frekihaku.repo.nii.ac.jp%2F%3Faction%3Drepository_action_common_download%26item_id%3D2422%26item_no%3D1%26attribute_id%3D22%26file_no%3D1+&cd=9&hl=ja&ct=clnk&gl=jp|title=An Analysis of the Background of Japanese-style Tombs Builtin the Southwestern Korean Peninsula in the Fifth and Sixth Centuries|author=Kanta Takata|publisher=[[Bulletin of the National Museum of Japanese History]]|url-status=live|archive-date=4 April 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://kiu.repo.nii.ac.jp/index.php?action=pages_view_main&active_action=repository_action_common_download&item_id=262&item_no=1&attribute_id=18&file_no=1&page_id=25&block_id=33|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220404081032/https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:2nPSNI6g2cgJ:https://kiu.repo.nii.ac.jp/index.php%3Faction%3Dpages_view_main%26active_action%3Drepository_action_common_download%26item_id%3D262%26item_no%3D1%26attribute_id%3D18%26file_no%3D1%26page_id%3D25%26block_id%3D33+&cd=10&hl=ja&ct=clnk&gl=jp|script-title=ja:朝鮮半島南部に倭人が造った前方後円墳 : 古代九州との国際交流|author=Park Cheon-Soo|date=March 2010|archive-date=4 April 2022}}</ref>

According to the ''[[Nihon Shoki]]'', [[Buddhism]] and the [[Chinese characters|Chinese writing system]] were introduced near the end of the period from [[Baekje]]. The Kofun period recorded Japan's earliest political centralization, when the [[Yamato Kingship|Yamato clan]] rose to power in southwestern Japan, established the [[Imperial House of Japan|Imperial House]], and helped control trade routes across the region.<ref name=":0">Denoon, Donald ''et al.'' (2001). {{Google books|XUw6kiX9LQ0C|''Multicultural Japan: Palaeolithic to Postmodern,'' p. 107.|page=107}}</ref>

==Kofun tombs==
[[File:CG 360d Nakatsuyama kofun BW.gif|thumb|alt=Animated kofun|Keyhole-shaped kofun drawn in [[3DCG]] ({{ill|Nakatsuyama Kofun|ja|仲ツ山古墳}} in [[Fujiidera, Osaka]], 5th century)]]
[[File:KofunTombJewelry.jpg|thumb|alt=Brown jewelry against a light background|Kofun-period jewelry ([[British Museum]])]]
Kofun (from [[Middle Chinese]] ''kú'' 古 "ancient" + ''bjun'' 墳 "burial mound")<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://jisho.org/search/%23kanji%20%E5%8F%A4|title=古|website=Jisho.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://jisho.org/search/%E5%A2%B3%20%23kanji|title=墳|website=Jisho.org}}</ref> are [[burial mounds]] built for members of the ruling class from the 3rd to the 7th centuries in Japan,<ref name="keally">{{cite web|url=http://www.t-net.ne.jp/~keally/kofun.html|title=Kofun Culture|first=Charles T.|last=Keally|date=2009-04-29|access-date=2009-05-30}}</ref> and the Kofun period takes its name from the distinctive earthen mounds. The mounds contained large stone burial chambers, and some are surrounded by [[moat]]s.

Kofun have four basic shapes: round and square are the most common, followed by 'scallop-shell' and 'keyhole.' The keyhole tomb is a distinct style found only in Japan, with a square front and round back. Kofun range in size from several meters to over 400 meters long, and unglazed pottery figures (''[[Haniwa]]'') were often buried under a kofun's circumference.

===Development===
[[File:KofunCuirass.jpg|thumb|alt=See caption|Iron ''[[tankō]]'' armour and helmet, with gilt bronze decoration, 5th century  CE ([[Tokyo National Museum]])]]
The oldest Japanese kofun is reportedly [[Hokenoyama Kofun]] in [[Sakurai, Nara]], which dates to the late 3rd century. In the Makimuku district of Sakurai, later keyhole kofuns ([[Hashihaka Kofun]], Shibuya Mukaiyama Kofun) were built during the early 4th century. The keyhole kofun spread from [[Yamato Province|Yamato]] to [[Kawachi Province|Kawachi]]—with giant kofun, such as Daisenryō Kofun—and then throughout the country during the 5th century. Keyhole kofun disappeared later in the 6th century, probably because of the drastic reformation of the Yamato court; ''[[Nihon Shoki]]'' records the introduction of Buddhism at this time. The last two great kofun are the {{convert|190|m|ft|adj=mid|-long}} [[Imashirozuka Kofun|Imashirozuka kofun]] in Osaka (currently believed by scholars to be the tomb of [[Emperor Keitai]]) and the {{convert|135|m|ft|adj=mid|long}} Iwatoyama kofun in Fukuoka, recorded in ''Fudoki of Chikugo'' as the tomb of Iwai (political archrival of [[Emperor Keitai]]). Kofun burial mounds on the island of [[Tanegashima]] and two very old [[Shinto shrine]]s on the island of [[Yakushima]] suggest that these islands were the southern boundary of the [[Yamato Kingship|Yamato state]];<ref name=":0" /> it extended north to [[Tainai]] in the present-day [[Niigata Prefecture]], where excavated mounds have been associated with a person closely linked to the Yamato kingdom.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T120916001832.htm|title=Yamato kingdom traces found in Niigata Pref.|date=September 17, 2012|newspaper=Daily Yomiuri Online|access-date=September 23, 2012}}</ref>

==Yamato court==
{{Main|Yamato Kingship}}
{{Unreferenced section|date=May 2024}}
[[Yamato Kingship|Yamato rule]] is usually believed to have begun about 250 AD, and it is generally agreed that Yamato rulers had keyhole-kofun culture and [[hegemony]] in Yamato until the [[4th century]]. Autonomy of local powers remained throughout the period, particularly in Kibi (the present-day [[Okayama Prefecture]]), Izumo (current [[Shimane Prefecture]]), Koshi (current [[Fukui Prefecture|Fukui]] and [[Niigata Prefecture]]), Kenu (northern [[Kantō]]), Chikushi (northern [[Kyūshū]]), and Hi (central Kyūshū). During the 6th century, the Yamato clans began to dominate the southern half of Japan. According to the ''[[Book of Song]]'', Yamato relationships with China probably began in the late 4th century.

The Yamato [[polity]], which emerged by the late 5th century, was distinguished by powerful [[clan]]s (豪族, ''[[gōzoku]]''). Each clan was headed by a patriarch (氏上, ''Uji-no-kami''), who performed sacred rituals to the clan's ''[[kami]]'' (objects of worship) to ensure its long-term welfare. Clan members were the aristocracy, and the royal line which controlled the Yamato court was at its zenith. Clan leaders were awarded ''[[kabane]]'', inherited titles denoting rank and political standing which replaced family names.

The Kofun period is called the Yamato period by some Western scholars, since this local chieftainship became the imperial dynasty at the end of the period. However, the Yamato clan ruled just one polity among others during the Kofun era. Japanese archaeologists emphasise that other regional chieftainships (such as [[Kingdom of Kibi|Kibi]]) were in close contention for dominance in the first half of the Kofun period; Kibi's Tsukuriyama Kofun is Japan's fourth-largest.

[[File:KofunSwordHilts.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Three sword hilts|Gilded sword hilts, late Kofun period, 6th century]]
The [[Yamato period|Yamato court]] exercised power over clans in [[Kyūshū]] and [[Honshū]], bestowing titles (some hereditary) on clan chieftains. The Yamato name became synonymous with Japan as Yamato rulers suppressed other clans and acquired agricultural land. Based on [[China|Chinese]] models (including the adoption of the [[Chinese written language]]), they began to develop a central administration and an imperial court attended by subordinate clan chieftains with no permanent capital. Powerful clans were the [[Soga clan|Soga]], [[Katsuragi clan|Katsuragi]], [[:ja:平群氏|Heguri]] and [[:ja:巨勢氏|Koze]] clans in the [[Yamato Province|Yamato]] and [[Bizen Province]]s and the [[:ja:吉備氏|Kibi]] clans in the [[Izumo Province]]. The [[Ōtomo clan|Ōtomo]] and [[Mononobe clan]]s were military leaders, and the [[Nakatomi clan|Nakatomi]] and [[:ja:忌部氏|Inbe]] clans handled rituals. The Soga clan provided the government's chief minister, the Ōtomo and Mononobe clans provided secondary ministers, and provincial leaders were called ''[[kuni no miyatsuko]]''. Craftsmen were organized into guilds.

==={{anchor|Territorial expansion of Yamato}}Territorial expansion===
[[File:Warehouse (Kofun era) Osaka JPN 001.jpg|thumb|alt=Brown building with an angular roof|Reconstructed Kofun-era warehouse]]
In addition to archaeological findings indicating a local monarchy in [[Kibi Province]] as an important rival, the legend of the 4th-century Prince [[Yamato Takeru]] alludes to the borders of the [[Yamato Province|Yamato]] and battlegrounds in the region; a frontier was near the later [[Izumo Province]] (eastern present-day [[Shimane Prefecture]]). Another frontier, in [[Kyūshū]], was apparently north of present-day [[Kumamoto Prefecture]]. According to the legend, there was an eastern land in [[Honshu|Honshū]] "whose people disobeyed the imperial court" and against whom [[Yamato Takeru]] was sent to fight.{{citation needed|date=September 2018}} It is unclear if the rival country was near the Yamato nucleus or further away. [[Kai Province]] is mentioned as a location where prince Yamato Takeru traveled on his military expedition.

The period's northern frontier was explained in ''[[Kojiki]]'' as the legend of [[Shido shogun|Shido Shōgun's]] (四道将軍, "Shōguns to four ways") expedition. One of four ''[[shōgun]]s'', Ōbiko set out northward to Koshi and his son Take Nunakawawake left for the eastern states. The father moved east from northern Koshi, and the son moved north;{{contradictory inline|date=September 2018|reason=See previous sentence.}} they met at Aizu, in present-day western [[Fukushima Prefecture]]. Although the legend is probably not factual, Aizu is near southern Tōhoku (the northern extent of late-4th-century keyhole-kofun culture).

===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]]''.

==={{anchor|Clans of the Yamato Court}}Clans===
Many of the clans and local chieftains who made up the Yamato polity claimed descent from the imperial family or ''[[kami]]''. Archaeological evidence for the clans is found on the Inariyama Sword, on which the bearer recorded the names of his ancestors to claim descent from ''Ōbiko'' (大彦, recorded in the ''[[Nihon Shoki]]'' as a son of [[Emperor Kōgen]]). A number of clans claimed origin in China or the Korean Peninsula.

During the 5th century, the [[Katsuragi clan]] (葛城氏, descended from the legendary grandson of [[Emperor Kōgen]]) was the most prominent power in the court and intermarried with the imperial family. After the clan declined, late in the century, it was replaced by the [[Ōtomo clan (ancient)|Ōtomo clan]]. When Emperor Buretsu died with no apparent heir, [[Ōtomo no Kanamura]] recommended [[Emperor Keitai]] (a distant imperial relative in [[Koshi Province (Japan)|Koshi Province]]) as the new monarch. Kanamura resigned due to the failure of his diplomatic policies, and the court was controlled by the [[Mononobe clan|Mononobe]] and [[Soga clan]]s at the beginning of the [[Asuka period]].

=={{anchor|Kofun society}}Society==
===Toraijin===
{{main|Toraijin}}
[[File:KofunHorseCharriots.JPG|thumb|alt=See caption|Detail of chariots on a Chinese bronze mirror sent to Japan during the Kofun period. From the Eta-Funayama Tumulus, [[Kumamoto]] ([[Tokyo National Museum]])]]
''[[wiktionary:渡来人|Toraijin]]'' refers to people who immigrated to Japan from abroad via the [[Ryukyu Islands]] or the Korean Peninsula. They introduced numerous, significant aspects of [[Chinese culture]] to Japan such as Chinese writing system and [[Buddhism]] from India. Valuing their knowledge and culture, the Yamato government gave preferential treatment to ''toraijin''.<ref name="Kōzō311">{{cite book
  | last = Kōzō
  | first = Yamamura
  |author2=John Whitney Hall
   | title = The Cambridge history of Japan
  | publisher = Cambridge University Press
  | year = 1997
  | isbn =  0-521-22354-7
  |page=311
  }}</ref> According to the 815 book, ''[[Shinsen Shōjiroku]]'', 317 of 1,182 clans in the [[Kinai]] region of Honshū were considered to have foreign ancestry. 163 were of Chinese origin (written as "Kan"), 104 from [[Baekje]] ("Paekche" in the older romanization), 41 from [[Goguryeo]], 6 from [[Silla]], and 3 from [[Gaya confederacy|Gaya]].<ref name="Saeki">Saeki (1981)</ref> They may have immigrated to Japan between 356 and 645.

===Influential immigrants===
Some of the many immigrants that had significant influence in Kofun period Japan included [[Wani (scholar)|Wani]], [[Yuzuki no Kimi]] and [[Achi no omi|Achi no Omi]], the founders of [[Kawachinofumi clan]]/[[Kawachinoaya clan]],<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last1=Takaoka |first1=Nobuyuki |last2=片岡 |first2=伸行 |date=2023-07-31 |title=神々のルーツ 明日香の地と「今木神」 – 全日本民医連 |url=https://www.min-iren.gr.jp/?p=48205 |website=www.min-iren.gr.jp |publisher=Japan Federation of Democratic Medical Institutions (全日本民主医療機関連合会) |language=Japanese}}</ref> [[Hata clan]]<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |title=都市史01 ~秦氏~ |trans-title=History of the City 01 ~Hata clan~ |url=https://www2.city.kyoto.lg.jp/somu/rekishi/fm/nenpyou/htmlsheet/toshi01.html |website=[[Kyoto City]] |language=Japanese }}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=「伊奈利社創祀前史」 ~伏見稲荷大社~ |url=https://inari.jp/about/history/num11/ |access-date= |website=inari.jp}}</ref> and [[Yamatonoaya clan]],<ref name="森.門脇1977">{{Cite book |author=森浩一, 門脇禎二 |url=https://iss.ndl.go.jp/books/R100000002-I000002692424-00 |title=渡来人 : 尾張・美濃と渡来文化 |publisher=大巧社 |year=1997 |isbn=4924899232 |series=春日井シンポジウム |language=Japanese |id={{JPNO|99011294}}}}</ref><ref name=":03">『古代国家と天皇』創元社、1957年</ref> respectively. Despite being ethnically similar, many immigrants from [[Baekje]] and [[Silla]] had arrived in Japan during [[Emperor Ōjin]]'s reign carrying separate identities and foreign deities such as the ''[[kami]]'' [[Inari Ōkami|Inari]].<ref name="Higo">Higo, Kazuo.  "Inari Shinkō no Hajime".  ''Inari Shinkō'' (ed. Hiroji Naoe).  Tokyo: Yūzankaku Shuppan, 1983.</ref><ref name=":12">{{Cite web |title=「おいなりさん物語」 ~伏見稲荷大社~ |url=https://inari.jp/about/story/ |website=Fushimi Inari Taisha |language=Japanese}}</ref>

Other immigrants who settled in Japan beginning in the 4th century were the progenitors of Japanese clans. According to ''[[Kojiki]]'' and ''[[Nihon Shoki]]'', the oldest record of a Silla immigrant is [[Amenohiboko]]: a legendary prince of [[Silla]] who settled in Japan at the era of [[Emperor Suinin]], possibly during the 3rd or 4th centuries.

Baekje and Silla sent their princes as hostages to the Yamato court in exchange for military support.<ref>{{cite book |last=Brown, Delmer M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A3_6lp8IOK8C&pg=PA141 |title=The Cambridge History of Japan: Ancient Japan |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1993 |isbn=0-521-22352-0 |page=141 |quote=Faced with this comeback by Koguryo, Paekche leaders turned to Yamato for military support, even sending its crown prince to Yamato as a hostage in 397 – just as Silla had dispatched princely hostage to Koguryo in 392 when that kingdom was in dire need of military support. |author-link=Delmer Brown}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Pratt |first=Keith |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1Gui8CdUfVoC&q=Baekje+prince+hostage+yamato&pg=PA42 |title=Everlasting Flower: A History of Korea |publisher=Reaktion Books |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-86189-335-2 |page=42 |quote=We can only guess, for example, what it felt like for the girls periodically sent as brides to foreign courts, for the crown prince of Paekche when he was dispatched to the Yamato court as a hostage in AD 397, or for a Silla prince who experienced the same fate in 402.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cZ0xAQAAIAAJ&q=hostage |title=The New Encyclopædia Britannica |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica |year=2003 |isbn=0-85229-961-3 |page=279 |quote=Paekche was frequently attacked by Koguryo during the century, prompting continued requests for assistance from Yamato; it is recorded that Paekche even sent a crown prince to Yamato as a hostage on one occasion and the mother of the king on another. Yet, probably because of internal dissension, Yamato did not dispatch any troops to the peninsula. Yamato's interest in Korea was apparently a desire for access to improved continental technology and resources, especially iron.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Henthorn |first=William E. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E_5xAAAAMAAJ&q=Misahun |title=A history of Korea |publisher=Free Press |year=1971 |isbn=9780029144602 |page=37 |quote=In 402, Silla concluded a peace with the Wa. Prince Misahun was then sent to Japan as a hostage. This may have been an act of revenge by the Silla monarch, who, as Prince Silsong, had been sent as hostage to Koguryo by Prince Misahun's father. Despite the peace, Silla–Wa relations were never friendly, due no doubt in part to the Wa–Kaya alliance.}}</ref> King [[Muryeong of Baekje]] was born in [[Kyushu]] ([[Chikuzen Province|筑紫]]) of Japan as the child of a hostage in 462,<ref>[[Nihon Shoki]] Vol.14 "Chronicle of [[Emperor Yūryaku]]" 六月丙戌朔　孕婦果如加須利君言　於[[Chikuzen Province]] (筑紫) 各羅嶋産兒　仍名此兒曰嶋君　於是　軍君即以一船　送嶋君於國　是爲[[King Muryeong of Baekje]] (武寧王)　百濟人呼此嶋曰主嶋也</ref> and left a son in Japan who was an ancestor of the minor-noble {{Nihongo|Yamato no Fubito|和史|"Scribes of Yamato"}} clan.  According to the {{Nihongo|[[Shoku Nihongi]]|続日本紀}}, Yamato no Fubito's relative ([[Takano no Niigasa]]) was a 10th-generation descendant of King Muryeong of Baekje who was chosen as a [[concubine]] for [[Emperor Kōnin]] and was the mother of [[Emperor Kanmu]]. In 2001, Emperor [[Akihito]] confirmed his ancient royal Korean heritage through Emperor Kanmu.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2001-12-28 |title=The emperor's new roots |url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/dec/28/japan.worlddispatch |access-date=2022-12-02 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}</ref>

=={{anchor|Kofun Culture}}Culture==
[[File:Haniwa - Warrior in Keiko Armor.jpg|thumb|alt=Terra-cotta soldier|''[[Haniwa]]'' [[Haniwa Warrior in Keiko Armor|warrior in ''keiko'' armor]] ([[National Treasure (Japan)|NT]])]]
[[File:埼玉県熊谷市上中条日向島出土 埴輪 馬-2.JPG|thumb|[[Haniwa horse from Kamichūjō|''Haniwa'' horse from Kamichūjō]] ([[Important Cultural Property (Japan)|ICP]])]]

===Language===
{{Main|Japanese language}}
[[Han Chinese|Chinese]], [[Yamato people|Japanese]], and [[Koreans]]  wrote historical accounts primarily in [[Chinese characters]], making original pronunciation difficult to trace. Although writing was largely unknown to the indigenous Japanese of the period, the literary skills of foreigners seem to have been increasingly appreciated by the Japanese elite. The [[Inariyama Sword]], tentatively dated to 471 or 531, contains a Chinese-character inscription in a style used in China at the time.<ref name="Seeley">Seeley (2000:19-23)</ref>

===''Haniwa''===
The [[cavalry]] wore armour, carried [[sword]]s and other weapons, and used advanced military methods similar to those of [[Northeast Asia]]. Evidence of the advances is seen in {{Nihongo|''[[haniwa]]''|埴輪|extra="clay ring"}}, clay offerings placed in a ring on and around the tomb mounds of the ruling elite. The most important of these ''haniwa'' were found in southern [[Honshū]] (especially the [[Kansai|Kinai region]] around [[Nara Prefecture]]) and northern [[Kyūshū]]. ''Haniwa'' grave offerings were sculpted as horses, chickens, birds, fans, fish, houses, weapons, shields, sunshades, pillows, and male and female humans. Another funerary piece, the {{Nihongo|''[[magatama]]''|勾玉|extra="curved jewel"}}, became symbolic of imperial power.

==={{anchor|Introduction of material culture to Japan}}Introduction of material culture===
Much of the [[material culture]] of the Kofun period demonstrates that Japan was in close political and economic contact with continental Asia (especially with the southern dynasties of China) via the Korean Peninsula; bronze mirrors cast from the same mould have been found on both sides of the [[Tsushima Strait]]. [[Irrigation]], [[sericulture]], and [[weaving]] were brought to Japan by immigrants, who are mentioned in ancient Japanese histories; the [[Hata clan]] introduced sericulture and certain types of weaving.<ref name="Shogakukan">{{Citation
| year = 1988
| title = 国語大辞典 (Kokugo Dai Jiten Dictionary)
| edition = 新装版 (Revised Edition)
| publisher = Shogakukan
| place = Tokyo
| language = ja
| quote = 姓氏。古代の有力帰化系氏族。出自は諸説あるが、おそらく五世紀に渡来した中国人の子孫で、養蚕・機織の技術をもって朝廷に仕え、伴造（とものみやつこ）の一員として秦造（はたのみやつこ）を称したと思われる。<br /> Surname.  Influential immigrant clan in ancient times.  Various theories about origins, but most likely descendants of Chinese immigrants who came to Japan in the fifth century, who are thought to have brought sericulture and weaving technologies and served in the imperial court, and to have been granted the title ''Hata no Miyatsuko'' as members of the ''Tomo no Miyatsuko'' [an imperial rank responsible for overseeing technically skilled artisans].
}}</ref>

=={{anchor|Towards Asuka period}}Asuka period==
The introduction of [[Buddhism]] in 538 marked the transition from the Kofun to the [[Asuka period]], which coincided with the reunification of China under the [[Sui dynasty]] later in the century. Japan became deeply influenced by Chinese culture, adding a cultural context to the religious distinction between the periods.

=={{anchor|Relations between the Yamato court and other East Asian kingdoms}}Relations with other East Asian kingdoms==
[[File:岩戸山古墳出土 石人 (J-831).JPG|thumb|right|''[[Sekijin sekiba]]'' were likely inspired by the [[Sacred way|spirit paths]] of China.]]
[[File:MET DT253025.jpg|thumb|right|The development and eventual disappearance of ''[[sharin-seki]]'' has been linked to continental influence.]]

===Chinese records===
According to the ''[[Book of Sui]]'', [[Silla]] and [[Baekje]] greatly valued relations with the Kofun-period [[Wa (name of Japan)|Wa]] and the Korean kingdoms made diplomatic efforts to maintain their good standing with the Japanese.<ref name="sui">Chinese History Record [[Book of Sui]], Vol. 81, ''Liezhuan'' 46 : 隋書 東夷伝 第81巻列伝46 : 新羅、百濟皆以倭為大國，多珍物，並敬仰之，恆通使往來 "Silla and Baekje both take Wa to be a great country, with many rare and precious things; also [Silla and Baekje] respect and look up to them, and regularly send embassies there." [http://www.guoxue.com/shibu/24shi/suisu/sui_081.htm]{{cite web |title=Archived copy |url=http://www.chinakyl.com/rbbook/big5/25/suishu/suis81.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041221184200/http://www.chinakyl.com/rbbook/big5/25/suishu/suis81.html |archive-date=2004-12-21 |access-date=2006-04-29}}</ref> The ''[[Book of Song]]'' reported that a Chinese emperor appointed the [[five kings of Wa]] in 451 to supervise military affairs of Wa, Silla, [[Imna]], [[Gaya confederacy|Gara]], [[Jinhan confederacy|Jinhan]] and [[Mahan confederacy|Mahan]].<ref name="song">Chinese History Record [[Book of Song]] : 宋書 列傳第五十七 夷蠻 : 詔除武使持節、都督倭新羅任那加羅秦韓慕韓六國諸軍事、安東大將軍、倭王。興死，弟武立，自稱使持節、都督倭百濟新羅任那加羅秦韓慕韓七國諸軍事、安東大將軍、倭國王 [http://www.hoolulu.com/zh/25shi/06songshu/t-097.htm] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151013072650/http://www.hoolulu.com/zh/25shi/06songshu/t-097.htm|date=2015-10-13}}[http://www.xysa.net/a200/h350/06songshu/t-097.htm] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303184326/http://www.xysa.net/a200/h350/06songshu/t-097.htm|date=2016-03-03}}</ref>

===Japanese records===
According to the ''[[Nihon Shoki]]'', Silla was conquered by the [[Empress Jingū|Japanese Empress-consort Jingū]] in the third century.<ref>Sakamoto (1967:336-340)</ref> However, due to lack of evidence,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O6W6uQEACAAJ&q=Historia+Korei|title=Historia Korei|author=Joanna Rurarz|publisher=Wydawnictwo Akademickie Dialog|language=pl|year=2014|page=89|isbn=9788363778866}}</ref> this story is considered to be mythological in nature. It reported that the prince of [[Silla]] came to Japan to serve the [[emperor of Japan]],<ref>''Nihon Shoki'', Vol.6 "天日槍對曰　僕新羅國主之子也　然聞日本國有聖皇　則以己國授弟知古而化歸(to serve)之"</ref> and lived in [[Tajima Province]]. Known as Amenohiboko, his descendant is [[Tajima Mori]].<ref>''Nihon Shoki'', Vol.6 "故天日槍娶但馬出嶋人　太耳女麻多烏　生但馬諸助也　諸助生但馬日楢杵　日楢杵生清彦　清彦生田道間守也"</ref> According to ''Kojiki''<ref>百濟國主照古王遣阿知吉師獻雄馬雌馬各壹以貢上此阿知吉師者 阿直史等之祖</ref> and ''Nihon Shoki'',<ref>十五年秋八月 壬戌朔丁卯 百濟王遣阿直岐 貢良馬二匹 即養於輕阪上廄 因以阿直岐令掌飼 故號其養馬之處曰 廄阪</ref> [[Geunchogo of Baekje]] presented stallions, [[broodmares]] and [[horse trainer|trainers]] to the Japanese emperor during [[Emperor Ōjin]]'s reign.<ref name="KUrano">Kurano (1958:248-249)</ref>

According to ''Kojiki'' and ''Nihon Shoki'', Baekje had also sent a scholar by the name of [[Wani (scholar)|Wani]] during the reign of [[Emperor Ōjin]]. He is said to be the pioneer of the introduction of the [[Chinese writing system]] to Japan.

===Korean records===
The ''[[Samguk sagi]]'' (''Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms'') reported that Baekje and Silla sent their princes as [[hostage#Historical hostage practices|hostage]]s to the Yamato court in exchange for military support to continue their military campaigns; King [[Asin of Baekje]] sent his son ([[Jeonji of Baekje|Jeonji]]) in 397,<ref name="shiragi">Korean History Record [[Samguk Sagi]] : 三國史記 新羅本紀 : 元年 三月 與倭國通好 以奈勿王子未斯欣爲質 [http://www.koreandb.net/Sam/bon/samkuk/04_030_2000277.htm]</ref> and King [[Silseong of Silla]] sent his son [[Misaheun]] in 402.<ref name="kudara">Korean History Record [[Samguk Sagi]] : 三國史記 百済本紀 : 六年夏五月 王與倭國結好 以太子腆支爲質 秋七月大閱於漢水之南　{{cite web |url=http://www.koreandb.net/Sam/bon/samkuk/04_250_2001365.htm |title=아신왕 - 삼국사기 백제본기- 디지털한국학 |access-date=2008-05-12 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080512000405/http://www.koreandb.net/Sam/bon/samkuk/04_250_2001365.htm |archive-date=2008-05-12 }}</ref> [[Hogong]], from Japan, helped to found Silla.<ref>Korean History Record [[Samguk Sagi]] :三國史記 卷第一 新羅本紀第一 始祖赫居世, 瓠公者 未詳其族姓 本倭人</ref>

== Genetics ==
{{Main|Genetic and anthropometric studies on Japanese people}}

In 2021, a research paper proposed a new theory as to the origins of the Japanese people. It suggested that the people of Japan bore genetic signatures from three ancient populations rather than just two as previously thought.<ref name="Cooke21">{{cite journal |display-authors=6 |vauthors=Cooke NP, Mattiangeli V, Cassidy LM, Okazaki K, Stokes CA, Onbe S, Hatakeyama S, Machida K, Kasai K, Tomioka N, Matsumoto A, Ito M, Kojima Y, Bradley DG, Gakuhari T, Nakagome S |date=September 2021 |title=Ancient genomics reveals tripartite origins of Japanese populations |journal=Science Advances |volume=7 |issue=38 |pages=eabh2419 |bibcode=2021SciA....7.2419C |doi=10.1126/sciadv.abh2419 |pmc=8448447 |pmid=34533991 |ref={{harvid|Cooke|2021}}}}</ref> The paper called this strand the "Kofun strand" based on the samples found in the period, and separated it from the pre-existing "Jōmon" and "Yayoi strand" forming the "Tripartite ancestry theory".<ref name="Cooke21" />

However recently, the tripartite ancestry theory is being met with criticism since its introduction in 2021. In essence, Japanese researchers claim that a tripartite theory is redundant as the genealogical difference between Yayoi and Kofun groups is not significant enough and that the temporal discrepancy of the periods is minuscule. See [[Genetic and anthropometric studies on Japanese people#Tripartite ancestry theory|Japanese people's Tripartite ancestry theory]].

== Results of the Japan-South Korea Joint Historical Research ==
Under an agreement reached at the 2001 Japan-South Korea summit, Japanese and South Korean historians conducted joint historical research in two phases, including the relationship between Japan and the Korean Peninsula during the Kofun period. The point at issue was the "Mimana Nihon-fu" (任那日本府) which was said to be the governing institution Japan established in Korea at that time. After the controversy, Japanese and South Korean historians agreed that there were Japanese in the south of Korea and that the term "Mimana Nihon-fu" was not used at the time and should not be used as it was misleading. However, they could not agree on the position of the Japanese people in Korea at that time. The Japanese side claimed that the institutions established in Korea by the Japanese people were not under the control of Koreans, but were operated independently by the Japanese people and conducted diplomatic negotiations with the [[Gaya confederacy]]. On the other hand, the South Korean side claimed that the agency was the diplomatic office of Gaya, which employed the Japanese as bureaucrats of Gaya. The collaboration ended in 2010 with the publication of a final report describing the above. The full text of the minutes concerning the joint research is disclosed by the Japanese side.<ref>[https://www.jkcf.or.jp/projects/2005/18003/ Japan-Korea Joint Historical Research Committee, Japan-Korea Joint Historical Research Report (first period)] The Japan Korea Cultural Foundation</ref><ref>[https://www.jkcf.or.jp/projects/2010/17283/  Japan-Korea Joint Historical Research Committee, Japan-Korea Joint Historical Research Report (second period)] The Japan Korea Cultural Foundation</ref><ref>[https://megalodon.jp/ref/2020-0715-0054-56/https://www.jkcf.or.jp:443/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/1-08j.pdf Japan-Korea Joint Historical Research Committee, Discussion meeting of the first subcommittee, pp.479-484, August 19, 2009] The Japan Korea Cultural Foundation</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150907145414/http://www.47news.jp/CN/201003/CN2010032301000547.html Summary of the Japan-Korea Historical Research Report] 47news, March 23, 2010</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170724181248/http://www.shikoku-np.co.jp/national/detailed_report/article.aspx?id=20100323000314 Summary of the Japan-Korea Historical Research Report] Shikoku News, March 23, 2010</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed">
File:Helmet MET DT305558.jpg|alt=See caption|Kofun helmet, iron and gilt copper
File:Tanko Armor Kofun period 5th century iron plates sewn with leather strings Tokyo National Museum - DSC06388.jpg|alt=see caption|Kofun Tankō (short armor)
File:Iron Tanko Armor, Kofun period, 5th century, from Tsukando Tumulus, Yoshii-machi, Ukiha-shi, Fukuoka, sewn with leather strings - Tokyo National Museum - DSC06395.JPG|alt=Armor covering the torso|Kofun Keikō ([[cuirass]])
File:KofunHelmet.jpg|alt=See caption|Helmet
File:KofunShield.jpg|alt=See caption|Shield
File:KofunCrown.jpg|alt=See caption|Crown
File:Asuka Museum Keikô.jpg|Restored Kofun period [[lamellar armour]]
</gallery>

==See also==
{{Portal|Ancient Japan}}
*[[Japanese clans]]
*[[Kuni no miyatsuko]]
*[[Kumaso]]
*[[Kofun]]
*[[Kofun system]]
*[[Zenpokoenfun]]
{{Clear}}

==Notes==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==References==
{{Commons category|Kofun period}}
* {{cite book
  | last = Bogucki
  | first = Peter
  | title = The Origins of Human Society
  | publisher = Blackwell Publishing
  | year = 1999
  | isbn =  1-57718-112-3
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = Farris
  | first = William Wayne
  | title = Sacred Texts and Buried Treasures: Issues in the Historical Archaeology of Ancient Japan
  | publisher = University of Hawai'i Press
  | year = 1998
  | isbn =  0-8248-1966-7
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = Imamura
  | first = Keiji
  | title = Prehistoric Japan: New Perspectives on Insular East Asia
  | publisher = University of Hawaii Press
  | year = 1996
  | isbn =  0-8248-1852-0
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = Kōzō
  | first = Yamamura
  |author2=John Whitney Hall
   | title = The Cambridge history of Japan
  | publisher = Cambridge University Press
  | year = 1997
  | isbn =  0-521-22354-7
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = Kurano
  | first = Kenji
  |author2=Yūkichi Takeda
   | title = Nihon Koten Bungaku Taikei 1: [[Kojiki]], Norito
  | publisher = [[Iwanami Shoten Publishing|Iwanami Shoten]]
  | year = 1958
  | isbn =  4-00-060001-X
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = Saeki
  | first = Arikiyo
  | title = [[Shinsen Shōjiroku]] no Kenkyū (Honbun hen)
  | publisher = Yoshikawa Kōbunkan
  | year = 1981
  | language = ja
  | isbn =  4-642-02109-4
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = Sakamoto
  | first = Tarō |author2=Ienaga Saburō |author3=Inoue Mitsusada |author4=Ōno Susumu |author4-link=Ōno Susumu | title = Nihon Koten Bungaku Taikei 67: [[Nihon Shoki]]
  | volume = 1
  | publisher = [[Iwanami Shoten Publishing|Iwanami Shoten]]
  | year = 1967
  | isbn =  4-00-060067-2
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = Seeley
  | first = Christopher
  | title = A history of writing in Japan
  | publisher = University of Hawai'i Press
  | year = 2000
  | isbn =  0-8248-2217-X
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = Stearns
  | first = Peter N.
  |author2=William Leonard Langer
   | title = The Encyclopedia of World History
  | publisher = Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  | year = 2001
  | isbn =  0-395-65237-5
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = Yamaguchi
  | first = Yoshinori
  |author2=Kōnoshi Takamitsu
   | title = Shinpen Nihon Koten Bungaku Zenshū 1: [[Kojiki]]
  | publisher = Shōgakukan
  | year = 1997
  | isbn =  4-09-658001-5
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = Yoshida
  | first = Takashi
  | title = Nihon no tanjō
  | publisher = Iwanami Shoten
  | year = 1997
  | language = ja
  | isbn =  4-00-430510-1}}
* {{Country study}}
* [http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/jptoc.html Japan]

==Further reading==
* {{cite book
  | last = Mizoguchi
  | first = Kaoji
  | title = The Archaeology of Japan: From the Earliest Rice Farming Villages to the Rise of the State
  | publisher = Cambridge University Press
  | year = 2013}}

<div style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<hr noshade style="font-size:1.4em; width:100%;" />
''This period is part of the [[Yamato period]] of [[History of Japan|Japanese History]].''

< [[Yayoi]] | [[History of Japan]] | [[Asuka period]] >
</div>

{{Japan topics}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kofun Period}}
[[Category:Kofun period| ]]
[[Category:Archaeological cultures of East Asia]]
[[Category:3rd century in Japan]]
[[Category:4th century in Japan]]
[[Category:5th century in Japan]]
[[Category:6th century in Japan]]