Kofun

Discover the Jinbutsu Gazō Kyō, a 5th–6th century bronze mirror designated as a National Treasure of Japan. Featuring a 48-character inscription with one of the earliest uses of the title "Great King," this extraordinary artifact at the Tokyo National Museum offers a rare window into ancient Japan's diplomacy, craftsmanship, and the origins of written Japanese.

The Haniwa Horse (Important Cultural Property), excavated from Kamichūjō in Kumagaya City, Saitama Prefecture, and housed at the Tokyo National Museum, is one of the finest horse-shaped haniwa from Japan's 6th-century Kofun period. Its exquisitely detailed horse tack—including bridle bells, horse bells, stirrups, and pendant ornaments—offers an invaluable glimpse into ancient Japan's equestrian culture and the symbols of power.

Discover the National Treasure gilt-bronze horse trappings excavated from the Saitobaru Kofun cluster in Miyazaki. Now housed at the Gotoh Museum in Tokyo, these exquisite 6th-century artifacts illuminate ancient Hyuga's role in East Asian diplomacy and craftsmanship.

Discover the Seven-Branched Sword (Shichishitō), a unique National Treasure from the 4th century preserved at Isonokami Shrine in Tenri, Nara. Learn about its gold-inlaid inscription, the Baekje-Japan diplomatic connection, and how to visit this ancient sacred site.

Kept above ground rather than buried, the two iron shields of Isonokami Jingu in Nara are rare, near-complete Kofun-period pieces and an Important Cultural Property.

From an 1888 Yamaguchi tomb, this set holds a bronze mirror with the Wei reign name Zhengshi (240 CE), long central to the debate over Queen Himiko's gift mirrors.

This Tang dynasty manuscript (7th–8th century) is the oldest surviving copy of Volume 6 of the Shishuo Xinshu (Shishuo Xinyu), a celebrated Chinese anecdote collection. Designated as a National Treasure, this fragment features elegant Tang calligraphy, Heian-period reading marks, and esoteric Buddhist texts on the verso — a testament to over a millennium of Sino-Japanese cultural exchange.

A collection of 664 burial artifacts — including armor, bronze mirrors, weapons, jade ornaments, and haniwa — excavated from Chasuriyama Kofun, one of the largest circular tombs in the Kinki region, dating to the early 5th century. Designated as a national Important Cultural Property, the collection features the first collar-attached armor ever found outside the Kinai heartland, revealing the powerful ties between the Yamato court and the chieftains of ancient Tajima. Exhibited free of charge at the Kodai Asago-kan museum in Asago City, Hyogo.

Excavated from Toyota Otsuka Kofun in Aichi Prefecture, this ensemble of Sueki ceramics was designated a National Important Cultural Property in 1995. Featuring footed jars, four-linked cup stands, and child-bearing jar compositions, the assemblage is widely regarded as a peak example of decorated Sueki and is now displayed at the new Toyota City Museum, opened in 2024.

Housed at the Toyohashi City Museum of Art and History, this nationally designated Important Cultural Property is a collection of gilt-bronze horse trappings, beads and sue ware excavated from one of the Tokai region's largest keyhole-shaped tombs — vivid evidence of a late-6th-century chieftain of ancient Ho Province with strong ties to the Yamato court.

Discover the Kanrin Gakushi Shishū, a National Treasure manuscript of Tang dynasty Chinese poetry preserved at Ōsu Kannon temple in Nagoya. Learn about this rare Heian-period copy, the legendary Ōsu Bunko library, and how to plan your visit.

Tucked away on a hilltop in Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture, Hasaike Kofun is an elongated oval burial mound built between the mid-6th and early 7th centuries. Designated a National Historic Site, it is exceptionally rare in Japan because two of its horizontal stone chambers were found completely undisturbed by ancient grave robbers. Discovered by chance in 1992 and investigated through five excavation campaigns, the tumulus has yielded extraordinary insights into late Kofun-period funerary rites, including physical evidence of the ancient practice of 'mogari.' Today, visitors to Hasaike Kofun Park can view Stone Chamber No. 1 up close and learn about ancient Japanese views of death and burial through the on-site guidance facility.

Located in Fujiyama Health and Culture Park in Imabari City, Ehime, Myokenzan Kofun is a 55.2-meter keyhole-shaped tumulus built in the early 4th century and designated a National Historic Site in 2010. Visitors can view its preserved stone burial chamber through glass and enjoy panoramic views of the Seto Inland Sea — a rare encounter with Japan's earliest Kofun-period culture.

On a low hill in Motosu, Gifu, ancient communities built some 290 tombs over four centuries. See the red-painted chamber of Tomb 272 and the museum of grave goods.

The Otokuni Kofun Group is a remarkable cluster of 13 ancient burial mounds spanning Kyoto City, Mukō, Nagaokakyō, and Ōyamazaki, tracing 400 years of regional power from the 3rd to 7th century. As one of the few sites in Japan where chieftain tombs were continuously built across the entire Kofun period, it serves as a microcosm of ancient political dynamics. The largest mound, Egenoyama Kofun (128m long), yielded over 700 iron weapons and is now preserved as a public park.

Discover the Ōhi, a rare National Treasure Buddhist shoulder cloth from Tang-dynasty China, brought to Japan by the monk Kūkai. Deposited at the Kyoto National Museum, this exquisite textile reveals over 1,200 years of Shingon Buddhist history.

Discover the Important Cultural Property artifacts from Shibagahara Kofun in Joyo, Kyoto. Bronze bracelets, mirrors, and jade from the 3rd century reveal the dawn of Japan's Kofun era.

Discover the Gyokuhen (Yupian) Volume 27 at Kōzan-ji Temple in Kyoto—a National Treasure and Tang dynasty manuscript of the oldest Chinese character dictionary, lost in China but preserved in Japan for over 1,400 years.

Discover the Kenda Kokushi Kesa, a National Treasure Buddhist vestment brought to Japan by Kukai from Tang Dynasty China. Housed at the Kyoto National Museum, this 8th-century tapestry-weave masterpiece reveals the roots of Shingon Buddhism.

Discover the Chunqiu Jingzhuan Jijie Volume 2 Fragment, a rare Tang dynasty manuscript and National Treasure housed at the Yūrinkan Museum in Kyoto. Learn about its history, significance, and how to visit.