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Anakannon Kofun

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Anakannon Kofun
穴観音古墳
Location in JapanLocation in Japan穴観音古墳Show map of Oita PrefectureLocation in JapanLocation in JapanAnakannon Kofun (Japan)Show map of Japan
LocationHita, Ōita, Japan
RegionKyushu
Coordinates33°18′27.6″N 130°54′21.1″E / 33.307667°N 130.905861°E / 33.307667; 130.905861
TypeKofun
History
Foundedc.6th-7th century
PeriodsKofun period
Site notes
Public accessYes (no facilities)
National Historic Site of Japan

Anakannon Kofun (穴観音古墳) is a Kofun period Decorated kofun burial mound, located in the Kōno neighborhood of the city of Hita on the island of Kyushu, Japan. The tumulus was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1933.

Overview

The Anakannon Kofun is located on a plateau on the left bank of the Mikuma River (the upstream portion of the Chikugo River) that flows through the Hita Basin, and is estimated to have been constructed between the end of the 6th century and the beginning of the 7th century AD. This area is home to a collection of ruins from the Japanese Paleolithic period to the Kofun period, and is also known as the "Chōjabaru Ruins". This tumulus is thought to belong to the decorative tumulus culture area of the Chikugo River basin, along with the Garandoya Kofun located about 700 meters to the north and the nearby Hōonjiyama Kofun Cluster.

The tumulus is a circular enpun (円墳)-style kofun,with a diameter of 10 meters and height of approximately two meters. The burial chamber is a horizontal cave-style stone-lined multi-chamber structure, opening to the south. The existing burial chamber has lost its entrance and has a total length of 7.2 meters. The rear chamber is 3 meters deep and 2.3 meters wide, and the front chamber is 2.6 meters deep and 2 meters wide. The decorations are painted in two colors: red and green, on the back and right walls of the rear chamber, and on the left and right side walls of the front chamber. Among these, the back wall of the rear chamber has geometric patterns of concentric circles and continuous triangular patterns, the right wall has circular patterns and birds, and the left and right side walls of the front chamber have concentric circles, boats, and both right and left hands. It depicts a person with his legs spread apart. The concentric circular pattern on the front chamber and the inner contour of the boat are concave, but this method is not common in this region, and may have been influenced by the tombs of the Higo region, which have many carved patterns.

In later generations, because a stone Kannon Bosatsu was placed in the back chamber, it came to be called "Anakannon". It is located approximately 15 minutes by car from Hita Station on the JR Kyushu Kyūdai Main Line.

See also

References

  1. "穴観音古墳" (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  2. ^ Isomura, Yukio; Sakai, Hideya (2012). (国指定史跡事典) National Historic Site Encyclopedia. 学生社. ISBN 4311750404.(in Japanese)

External links

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