Fujinoki Kofun
藤ノ木古墳 · Fujinoki Tomb · Horyuji Fujinoki · Ikaruga Fujinoki
Late Kofun 560–710 CE (Asuka)·Late Kofun (Yamato–Silla contact)·🇯🇵 Nara Prefecture, Ikoma District, Ikaruga Town, Horyuji West (Horyuji-nishi) north of Ikaruga Chō-yakuba, Japan
About
About Fujinoki Kofun
Unlooted late Kofun science chest — Fujinoki (6th–late 7th c CE) circular 48 m tumulus at Ikaruga north of Hōryūji, 1985–88 emergency trench ahead of warehouse construction revealed pristine, sealed tuff chamber with decomposed double lacquer coffins (head-end gold stripe breastplate?), gilded horse trappings with Silla openwork, gilt-bronze saddle bow, and national-treasure textile-gilded shoe soles preserving Korean influx. Kashihara Archaeological Institute conservation: DNA? Kinship: two individuals male? second female? Fujinoki reconciles Ikaruga (Hōryūji) temple archaeology with Kofun elite dispersal and Korean artisan migration.
Why it mattersOnly fully unlooted late Kofun with Silla gilt horse gear — Fujinoki evidences Korean artisan quarter at Ikaruga adjacent to Hōryūji World Heritage.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Two coffins — couple or retainer sacrifice?
- 02Gold breastplate stripe — rank marker or shamanistic?
Theories
- 01Fujinoki prince as Hōryūji clan (Horyuji-shi) patriarch dispersing from Asuka to Ikaruga
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c.560–590 CE (late Kofun, Asuka transition)
- Period
- Late Kofun 560–710 CE (Asuka)
- Culture
- Late Kofun (Yamato–Silla contact)
- Builders
- Yamato elite with Silla-Korean artisans
- Purpose
- Sealed tumulus for elite warrior with Silla gilded horse gear displaying continental prestige
- Rediscovered
- 1985 warehouse permit exposure — unlooted; 1988–91 Kashihara Institute excavation and textile-gilt conservation
- Excavation
- Excavated
c.560–590 CE
48 m mound with tuff chamber and double lacquer coffins deposited
1985
Exposed during warehouse foundation — pristine chamber noted
1988–91
Kashihara Institute full excavation — gilt set classified National Treasure
1990s
Horyuji corridor reinterpreted — Fujinoki ties Hōryūji temple to Kofun dispersal
On the ground
Structures & features
34.6142° N · 135.7294° E · 55 m · 2 mapped features
Fujinoki Stone Chamber and Lacquer Coffins
chamber6×2.6×4 m tuff chamber containing double wood lacquer coffins with gold breastplate and gilt shoe soles
34.6144° N · 135.7296° EFujinoki 48 m Mound and Trapezoid Entrance
mound48 m circular earth mound with trapezoidal entrance passage and clay drainage gutter
34.6140° N · 135.7292° E
Gallery