Kofun period

History of Japan
Periods Paleolithic before 14,000 BC Jōmon 14,000 – 300 BC Yayoi 300 BC – 300 AD Kofun 300–538 Asuka 538–710 Nara 710–794 Heian 794–1185 Kamakura 1185–1333 Kenmu Restoration 1333–1336 Muromachi (Ashikaga) Nanboku-chō Sengoku 1336–1573 Azuchi–Momoyama Nanban trade 1573–1603 Edo (Tokugawa) Sakoku Convention of Kanagawa Bakumatsu 1603–1868 Meiji Boshin War Restoration First Sino-Japanese War Boxer Rebellion Russo-Japanese War 1868–1912 Taishō World War I 1912–1926 Shōwa Financial crisis Militarism World War II Occupation Economic miracle Post-occupation Bubble economy 1926–1989 Heisei Lost Decade Great Hanshin earthquake Great East Japan earthquake Imperial transition 1989–2019 (planned) Reiwa 2019 (planned)
Topics Currency Earthquakes Economy Education Empire Historiography Military Naval Post-war
Glossary Timeline

The Kofun period (古墳時代code: ja is deprecated , Kofun jidai) is a time in the history of Japan from around 250 to about 538. This grouping of years is named after the type of Imperial burial mounds called kofun which were raised in central Japan.

The Kofun period and the Asuka period are sometimes considered together as the Yamato period.

Timeline

The word kofun is Japanese for the type of burial mounds dating from this era.

• 416: The earliest recorded earthquake in Japan destroyed the Imperial Palace in Kyoto.
• 593: Prince Shotoku is regent
• 607: First ambassadors from Japan are sent to China

Kofun Period Media

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  Keyhole-shaped kofun drawn in 3DCG (Nakatsuyama Kofun in Fujiidera, Osaka, 5th century)

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  Kofun-period jewelry (British Museum)

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  Iron tankō armour and helmet, with gilt bronze decoration, 5th century CE (Tokyo National Museum)

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  Gilded sword hilts, late Kofun period, 6th century

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  Reconstructed Kofun-era warehouse

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  Ishibutai Kofun, a late kofun in Nara Prefecture

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  Detail of chariots on a Chinese bronze mirror sent to Japan during the Kofun period. From the Eta-Funayama Tumulus, Kumamoto (Tokyo National Museum)

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  Haniwa warrior in keiko armor (NT)

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  Haniwa horse from Kamichūjō (ICP)

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  Sekijin sekiba were likely inspired by the spirit paths of China.

Other websites

Media related to Kofun period at Wikimedia Commons

• Metropolitan Museum of Art, Kofun period
• British Museum, Kofun period Archived 2011-08-01 at the Wayback Machine
• Japan-guide.com, Early Japan