일본 전방후원분시대 연구의 과제

Abstract

In the Japanese Archipelago, very unique type of burial, so-called the keyhole-shaped tomb had been constructed for about 350 years since the second half of the 3rd century AD. This 350 year-period has been called the Kofun Period, prior stage of the Code State ruled by a code of administrative law. Tsude Hiroshi and Kondo Yoshiro have argued that the keyhole-shaped tombs had been constructed under the regulation of Yamato Power. Scholars who believe that there had been regulations to decide the size of the burial mound during the Kofun period have distinguished burials constructed before and after Hashihaka burial (the size of burial mound: 280m) of Nara Prefecture. According to them, while a burial constructed before the Hashihaka burial is named a grave with a burial mound or a Yayoi grave with a burial mound, a burial constructed after the Hashihaka burial is named Kofun. In other words, the word of Kofun became to have a special meaning, and regardless of shape, structure, and size of burial mound and burial furnishings, burials of Yayoi period have been called a grave with a burial mound or a Yayoi grave with a burial mound rather than a Kofun. While I agree that the formation of the keyhole-shaped tomb meant a beginning of a large reform or a new stage of history in the Japanese Archipelago, I cannot agree that there had been a nationwide system to regulate the construction of the keyhole-shaped tombs for the whole Kofun period. In the middle of third century AD, populations of Setonai and Yamato cooperated and formed the strongest power in the archipelago and built mega-sized keyhole-shaped tombs. However, they were repeatedly reorganizing themselves up to the second half of the fifth century, and this period can be named to be the period of Keyhole-shaped tomb.