Kofun Period (ca. AD 250-538)
The Kofun period (ca. AD 250-538) takes its name, which means old tomb (kofun) from the culture's rich funerary rituals and distinctive earthen mounds. The mounds contained large stone burial chambers, many of which were shaped like keyholes and some of which were surrounded by moats. These mounds could be massive in scale, reflecting the status and power of the individuals buried within them. Some of the most famous kofun are located in the Kansai region of Japan, particularly in areas around Nara and Osaka. By the late Kofun period, the distinctive burial chambers, originally used by the ruling elite, also were built for commoners.
The Kofun period is a crucial period in Japanese history, marking the transition from ancient to classical Japan and laying the foundation for many aspects of Japanese society that are still evident today. The Kofun Period in Japan was the final “blank” period, due to the absence of documentation. The subsequent The Asuka period was Japan’s first historical period, different from the prehistoric periods because of the introduction of writing via Korea and China. And there are restrictions on excavation work at imperial tumuli. The Imperial Household Agency manages 124 imperial tumuli across the country, and prohibits public access to the tomb premises, even for academic purposes, on the basis that their peace and dignity must be preserved.
During the Kofun period, a highly aristocratic society with militaristic rulers developed. Its horse-riding warriors wore armor, carried swords and other weapons, and used advanced military methods like those of Northeast Asia. Evidence of these advances is seen in funerary figures (called haniwa; literally, clay rings), found in thousands of kofun scattered throughout Japan. The most important of the haniwa were found in southern Honshu--especially the Kinai Region around Nara--and northern Kyushu. Haniwa grave offerings were made in numerous forms, such as horses, chickens, birds, fans, fish, houses, weapons, shields, sunshades, pillows, and male and female humans. Another funerary piece, the magatama, became one of the symbols of the power of the imperial house.
The Kofun period was a critical stage in Japan's evolution toward a more cohesive and recognized state. The Kofun period also saw significant cultural exchange with neighboring regions, particularly with the Korean Peninsula and China. This exchange influenced various aspects of Japanese culture, including language, religion, and technology. This society was most developed in the Kinai Region and the easternmost part of the Inland Sea (Seto Naikai), and its armies established a foothold on the southern tip of Korea. Japan's rulers of the time even petitioned the Chinese court for confirmation of royal titles; the Chinese, in turn, recognized Japanese military control over parts of the Korean Peninsula.
While origins of the Japanese state and imperial rule remain a subject of dispute among academics, the Yamato Kingship is generally believed to have expanded to become the ruling force in western Japan by the mid-fourth century. The Yamato Kingship was a loose alliance of local clans formed in Nara in the third century. The Yamato polity which emerged by the late fifth century was distinguished by powerful great clans or extended families, including their dependents. Each clan was headed by a patriarch who performed sacred rites to the clan's kami to ensure the long-term welfare of the clan. Clan members were the aristocracy, and the kingly line that controlled the Yamato court was at its pinnacle.
More exchange occurred between Japan and the continent of Asia late in the Kofun period. Buddhism was introduced from Korea, probably in A.D. 538, exposing Japan to a new body of religious doctrine. The Soga, a Japanese court family that rose to prominence with the accession of the Emperor Kimmei about A.D. 531, favored the adoption of Buddhism and of governmental and cultural models based on Chinese Confucianism. But some at the Yamato court--such as the Nakatomi family, which was responsible for performing Shinto rituals at court, and the Mononobe, a military clan--were set on maintaining their prerogatives and resisted the alien religious influence of Buddhism. The Soga introduced Chinese-modeled fiscal policies, established the first national treasury, and considered the Korean Peninsula a trade route rather than an object of territorial expansion. Acrimony continued between the Soga and the Nakatomi and Mononobe clans for more than a century, during which the Soga temporarily emerged ascendant.
The Kofun period is seen as ending by around A.D. 600, when the use of elaborate kofun by the Yamato and other elite fell out of use because of prevailing new Buddhist beliefs, which put greater emphasis on the transience of human life. Commoners and the elite in outlying regions, however, continued to use kofun until the late seventh century, and simpler but distinctive tombs continued in use throughout the following period.
By AD 587 Soga Umako, the Soga chieftain, was powerful enough to install his nephew as emperor and later to assassinate him and replace him with the Empress Suiko (r. AD 593-628), the first of eight sovereign empresses, The birth of the full-fledged centralized state came through the Taika Reform of 645. The Taika Reform was a series of political and social reforms implemented in Japan during the Asuka period, around 645-649 AD. These reforms were carried out under the leadership of Prince Naka no Oe (later Emperor Tenji) and his advisor, Nakatomi no Kamatari (later Fujiwara no Kamatari). The reforms aimed to centralize and strengthen the authority of the imperial government, modeled after the Chinese bureaucratic system.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
