Kofun

A fifth-century bronze mirror of Suda Hachiman Shrine, Wakayama, with a 48-character inscription, a National Treasure since 1951 displayed at the Tokyo National Museum.

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.

Sixth-century gilt bronze horse trappings from the Saitobaru tombs, Miyazaki, now at the Gotoh Museum, Tokyo, a National Treasure since 1956, probably made in Silla.

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.

A Tang manuscript of a poetry collection in the Osu library of Hoshoin, Nagoya, a National Treasure.

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.

A Tang-dynasty stole of Toji, Kyoto, said to have come to Kukai from his teacher Huiguo, a National Treasure since 1953.

Grave goods from the early Kofun Shibagahara Tomb in Joyo, with the only complete bronze bracelets of their kind and 187 jasper beads. Designated 1990.

A Tang manuscript of the Chinese dictionary Yupian at Kozanji, Kyoto, a National Treasure since 1952, lost in China and completed by the second half at Ishiyamadera.

A Tang seven-panel kesa of Toji, Kyoto, said to have come to Kukai from Huiguo, a National Treasure since 1953, woven with layered clouds in tsuzure-ori.

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.