While the pyramids of Egypt are known worldwide, as is Great Britain’s Stonehenge, the Japanese Keyhole Kofun are virtually unknown. Yet they rival these popular, internationally known, enigmatic artifacts in many important ways.
The Keyhole Kofun havea unique, mysterious shape, massive size, a complex system of moats; and megaliths were used to construct parts of them.
For example, the DaisenKofun (above photo) is approximately 500m(1640’) long and 300m (984’) wide at its widest span, while the entire tomb area is 840m (2755’) in length; in addition kthe mound rises approximately 35m (114’) above the surrounding terrain. Finally, the complex is enclosed by three moats, the innermost is the widest of the three estimated to 60m (180’) across.
To say that this complex dwarfs the Giza pyramid and Stonehenge sites combined is no exaggeration at all. The entire length of the precinct spans about a half-mile. The length of the Kofun itself is more than twice (1640’) as long as the sides of the Great Pyramid (755’).
Unfortunately, the Keyhole Kofun have long been shrouded in mystery and an aura of secrecy. This, in part, is probably why the Japanese have not broadcast their presence to the world to attract more tourism. These facts can be inferred from reading between the lines of the following quote:
Today, kofun are protected and can be found during walks in Nara and Sakai. You can only admire them from the outside, as in most cases they have remained sealed and intact, protected by law against archaeological excavations. Covered with trees and lush vegetation, they give a picture of what Japan could have looked like centuries ago. Their interiors remain an archaeological mystery…(Japan Exprience)
In that vein, to this day, nobody dares to breach any of the kofun (tumuli), because they are considered private property managed by the Imperial Household Agency. The truth is straightforward, the Imperial family owns the Daisen Kofun, shown and described above, and trespassing is not tolerated.
In addition to this shroud, which makes it difficult to dig into and establish the true historical reality of the Keyhole Kofun, we encounter other blockades. These shall become apparent as the narrative unfolds in this article.
There are many puzzling features contained within the enigmatic, keyhole kofun, not the least of which is their curious shape. However, we shall put that aside for the moment to first get an understanding of these structures in general. We begin by summing up what conventional historians and archaeologists believe to be their history.
We are told Kofun are large artificial mounds built to be tombs for the Japanese ruling elite between the 3rd and 7th century CE. The Daisen is the largest, but many measure several hundred meters across and are urrounded by moats. In addition to containing valuable bronze and iron goods, uncovered during a few, rare excavations, they were protected by terracotta figures called hapi were placed around their exteriors.
(There are an astonishing 160,000+ Kofun spread across the islands that make up Japan.)
In this paragraph we shall continue with the sketch of Kofun history proposed by Japanese historians. According to their accounts, the most distinctive mounds of the Kofun Period are the keyhole-shaped mounds, zenpo-koen (square front, round back) and zenpo-koho (square front, square back).
These Kofun are said to be associated with the Imperial Family. They also claim this shape is uniquely Japanese but, in fact that is untrue, its exact origins are unknown. We shall investigate this claim in detail as the chapter unfolds.
The second raises the fact that even Japanese historian’s admit they do not know where the keyhole design came from. This fact we shall investigate much further because it raises a host of questions.
At this point, we turn to a specific quote, a more critical, objective description of the Kofun period that includes an important reference to Japanese history in general. (I have underlined the reference):
“The word kofun is Japanese for the type of burial mounds dating from this era. The Kofun and the subsequent Asuka periods are sometimes referred to collectively as the Yamato period. The Kofun period is the earliest era of recorded history in Japan; as the chronology of its historical sources tends to be distorted studies of this period require deliberate criticism and the aid of archaeology.”(Wikipedia)
Nevertheless, that noted, we are going to continue to take the general portrait painted by Japanese historians and archaeologists at face value for the moment.
They tell us that native Japanese tribes suddenly took to building enormous, sophisticated, monumental structures (Kofun/Tombs) featuring a curious, unique (keyhole) design about 1,700 years ago (300 AD.)
That sounds good as far as it goes. But it does not give us any insight into the culture that built the Kofun, nor where they got the design and building knowledge and skills from on top of that.
It is clear beyond any doubt that the Kofun were obviously the result of considerable architectural knowledge, preparation, planning, engineering and a well-organized infrastructure. No one who has studied them would deny that assertion.
The problem is that a culture just does not pop up with these skills all of a sudden and start building huge, intricately designed complexes surrounded by artificial moats without some foreknowledge and experience. But that is what appears to have happened if the conventional history is correct.
Given those facts, we need to know just how advanced the Kofun builders were in other cultural and technological areas; and what other types of tools they used to build other similar, sophisticated structures circa 300 AD.
In short, we are looking for evidence that backs up the portrait painted by Japanese historians. Why?
We must find a logical progression of evolution in the archaeological record leading up to the Keyhole Kofun. Surely we have this simple step-by-step evolution to refer to from Stone Age huts and stone tools to their modern counterparts, high-rise skyscrapers and steel power tools.
In fact, historians often to use this type of logical, self-evident progression as an illustrative teaching tool.
Where did this complex design come from? Did it have cultural significance, related to burial and death, in the prehistoric (Jomon) native culture?That culture preceded the Kofun era and we shall examine their history and artifacts shortly.
In fact, we encounter our first obstacle when we attempt to do this.
There are no written records describing how the people of that era lived. But from the many haniwa clay figurines and earthenware, as well as several Kofun (tumuli) paintings, historians and archaeologists have been able to piece together a few useful details.
“The common people still lived in thatched pit houses, little changed from the prehistoric Jomon times, with one improvement, the kamado stove. Most houses had one built along the wall. That helped improve air quality within the home. Some of the homes were no longer pit houses or subterranean, but were built above ground; and others had wooden walls and wooden boarding over the floors.” (Heritage of Japan)
The fact that there are no written records from the 300 AD era is telling in itself. This is rather late in world history to find a purported culture capable of building massive, sophisticated, stone monuments not keeping written records.
Then the descriptions of the dwellings that people made also do not fit with the alleged capability of the native culture constructing the Kofuns. Like the earlier Jomon, they built structures, dwellings, etc., out of wood as we have just read and will see again shortly.
To claim a culture created a given artifact one must be able to point to the tools and methods they had at their disposal. That is a very elementary rule based upon simple logic. This is where conventional historians and archaeologists often break down.
They imply that very ancient cultures built massive artifacts, (Egypt) using nothing but primitive tools and methods.
This assertion could easily be proven or falsified since a test would only require a 50-ton stone block and a group of manual, day-laborers to lift it. That feat is never attemtpted, however for obvious reasons.
However, history and logic dictate that in order to build a 48-story tall stone edifice, you must have already built many 1, 2, 4, and 10-story pyramids. This is an absolute requirement because architects, engineers, and stonemasons are not born they are made.
They need to learn and hone their skills and that takes many generations.The same is true for the sudden appearance of multistory Kofun. Where is the evidence showing they used stone to build structures that foreshadow the Kofun?
It is ironic that our historians and archaeologists leave these obvious factors out of the mix. It as if they believe the public is too simple-minded to grasp the situation.
This attitude is by no means confined to Japan. It has become a global issue that is causing a great deal of friction and controversy. That is arising between academia and a growing public that is disillusioned with their proposals and sketchy historical scenarios.
As we have seen, the historical records are sketchy at best, and nearly impossible to use as reliable source materials.
Therefore we must turn to the physical, archaeological record for clues and answers. However, when we do we find historians simply pointing to the structures and describing them in a way that uses circular logic. That is they use the Kofun as the evidence that the local natives built them without showing that they had the tools, knowledge and skills to do so..
Then they outline a chronology, identify a few artifacts, and wham-bam, that’s all folks!
Certainly this important Imperial (Keyhole) symbol must have been in use if it is indigenous to Japanese cultures, but is it? This is the rub and the very question hits Japanese nerves with intensity. I am not the first to raise it by any stretch. Korean scholars have been challenging and debating their Japanese counterparts about this for some time now.
The fact is that Japanese historians cannot simply paint Keyhole Kofun into the onset of Japanese history just like that in this supposed‘mystery century’. A century during which Kofun suddenly pop up out of nowhere.
They are being asked to show the evidence of architectural evolution demonstrating the indigenous culture was capable of building such a huge, sophisticated structures.
Korean and Chinese historians have pointed to the problem as regards enigmatic artifacts of foreign origin found during excavations of Kofun in Japan, they query: “…Why would a Japanese culture that doesn't have Korean ceramic ability or horses yet have horse sculptures in their tombs?”
We are discovering that there may be reasons why the Japanese have kept the Kofun, and the era of their building, under a shroud. Perhaps their ancestors did not build them? And maybe the keyhole Kofun are not uniquely Japanese either?
We shall at this point depart the academic debates concerning the personages, events and chronology of the kofun building and turn to the physical evidence. In the end it is the archaeological record that reveals the truth.
The Jomon culture is defined by its pottery and by the strange looking figurines they made. (Insert)
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I have conducted an extensive survey of these figurines, Jomon pottery, and the symbols they contain. That search was made to look for any signs of the keyhole shape. However, I did not find the pattern engraved on anything.
Furthermore, looking into the types of dwellings they made and the tools they used, I found the following:“The typical early Jomon dwelling was a pit house that had a main pillar, its hole was dug the widest and deepest into the ground, which was then surrounded by other wooden upright supporting posts.”
In fact, the descriptions sound very much like what we read regarding the dwellings of the natives in 300 AD, alleged to have built the Kofun. Wood, not stone, was the main building material during both periods.
The oldest piece of wood used in Jomon construction is reported to have been found in the Yokoo site in Oita prefecture and is dated to about 10,000 years ago. Several other pieces of Jomon construction-timber from the Oyabe site in Toyama prefecture has been dated to 4,500 years ago.
From this we see that this culture used wood as their main building material throughout the Jomon epoch. Woodworking was an important skill for them, used for making dugout canoes, wooden vessels and especially for building various types of useful structures such as dwellings, storage houses, etc.
But there is no evidence that the Jomon were stone workers or builders. The fact is that the Kofun remain a mystery since historians cannot show any progression by any native culture who could have built them. As I noted at the onset of this piece, these artifacts are the best kept secret on earth and they exist in plain sight!
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