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Nihongaya Cairn Cluster
| Address | Somejidai 5-chome, Hamakita-ku, Hamamatsu-shi |
|---|---|
| Time | Late 5th to Early 6th centuries |
Overview
The site of Nihongaya contains tumuli made of heaps of stones in the late 5th to early 6th centuries. They were found along two valleys on a river terrace: 22 tombs in the east side and 6 in the west side. Of those, 6 tumuli are preserved and on display at "Tsumiishizuka Hiroba".
Most of them are flat square shaped and relatively small, about 5m in length. Even the largest is around 9m in length. The stones used are round and 10cm to 40cm. Although not many artifacts were found from the tombs, iron weapons and comma-shaped beads were unearthed. These tombs are remarkably unusual as ancient tombs found in Japan are mostly mounded types. Thus, and also considering that some of them show similarities of those found in Korea, they are believed to belong to the non-Japanese settlers.
Reference
"Hamamatsu no Iseki 2" (Archaeological Sites of Hamamatsu 2)