Kofun Period

In the late 3rd century, a powerful force emerged in the Yamato region (present-day Nara), led by the Okimi (great king) and influential clans. This Yamato polity expanded its control across the Japanese archipelago.
By the 4th century, it brought Kyushu under its rule and, using Kyushu as a base, advanced into the southern Korean Peninsula.
By around the late 5th century, it controlled areas from Kyushu to southern Tohoku.
At first, some clans were not involved in governance, but they gradually joined politics after receiving hereditary titles and roles from the Okimi.
By organizing society through the uji-kabane system, using clan names (uji) and titles (kabane) granted by the Okimi, the Yamato polity strengthened its structure and formed the Yamato court.

From the late 4th century, the Yamato court advanced into the Korean Peninsula to acquire its advanced culture and iron, which was abundant there.
It allied with Baekje and Gaya and fought Goguryeo and Silla, but was defeated.
To escape the turmoil of these conflicts, many people from the Korean Peninsula came to Japan.
These immigrants, known as toraijin, introduced culture and technology from Korea and China, along with political systems, to Japan.
The Yamato polity settled these skilled newcomers across the country by specialty, such as metalworkers (Karakanu chi-be), potters (Suetsukuri-be), brocade weavers (Nishigori-be), and saddle makers (Kuratsukuri-be).
From around this time, Chinese characters also began to be used gradually. With imported writing, technology, and political systems, Yamato rule and Japanese culture advanced significantly, helping establish the foundations of the nation.

In the Kofun Period, the lifestyle gap widened between rulers such as the Okimi and powerful clans, and ordinary people.
This divide was clearly visible in housing.
Elite clans built residences away from villages, surrounded by fences and moats.
As time went on, these residences grew larger, and some elites lived in raised-floor buildings supported by posts, reaching tens of meters on a side.
Meanwhile, commoners continued to live in pit dwellings, much like in the Yayoi Period.
A pit dwelling was a simple home made by digging a square into the ground, piling earth to keep out rain, and thatching a roof with reeds or straw over four pillars set diagonally.
A typical size was 16–25 square meters, and it is thought that about 4–7 people lived in each house.

Around the 5th century, as new culture and technology arrived with immigrants, pottery also began to change.
Using a high-temperature climbing kiln, including underground and semi-underground types known as anagama, pottery was fired harder and became more durable than before.
As cooking methods spread, with rice steamed using an indoor hearth stove (kamado), jars for boiling water and steamers for food also developed and became more common.
Kofun-era pottery broadly falls into two types: Haji ware, which carried on Yayoi traditions, and Sue ware, a hard bluish-gray pottery introduced from the Korean Peninsula.
Haji ware was used for everyday life, while Sue ware was mainly used for storage and serving.
Because Sue ware required large amounts of labor, fuel, and advanced skills, local leaders gathered workshops and specialist craftsmen to produce it.

In the Kofun Period, rice farming, which had spread during the Yayoi Period, was carried out on a larger scale.
People began cooking rice over stronger kamado fires, making it tastier.
Nuts remained an important source of nutrition, and were leached to remove bitterness, then baked and eaten like cookies.
While cooking methods changed significantly, the biggest shift was the ability to produce processed foods.
Salt-preservation techniques came from China, and people began making salted fermented foods known as hishio.
This fermented-food culture later led to inventions such as miso, soy sauce, pickles, and shiokara.

A kofun is a tomb with an earthen mound built up over it.
Kofun already existed in the Yayoi Period, but they grew rapidly in size after the Kofun Period began.
The most iconic style is the keyhole-shaped kofun (zenpokoenfun).
This type combines a circular mound with a square front projection, first appearing in the early 3rd century and spreading during the Kofun Period to much of Japan, excluding Hokkaido and Okinawa.
Because powerful clans displayed their authority through the size of their tombs, kofun are thought to have spread and grown larger over time.

Like kofun, haniwa are a signature part of Kofun-period culture.
Haniwa are unglazed clay figures placed on or around kofun, believed to protect or calm the spirits of the deceased.
There were many types, including everyday vessel shapes, weapons, and figures of animals and people.

The tombs of ancient kings who ruled the Japanese archipelago are clustered in the “Mozu area” in Sakai City and the “Furuichi area” in Habikino and Fujiidera, Osaka. Known as the Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group, the site was inscribed as Osaka’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019.
The Nintoku-tenno-ryo Kofun in the center of the Mozu area is often counted among the “World’s Three Great Tombs,” alongside the Great Pyramid of Khufu and the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor.
If you’re interested in kofun, this is a must-visit spot.

Yoshimi Hyakua is a late Kofun-period cluster of horizontal cave tombs, designated a National Historic Site in 1923.
These tombs are carved into the slopes of hills or plateaus, creating a distinctive burial style.
You can also try a hands-on haniwa-making experience, one of the Kofun Period’s most iconic cultural traditions.

In the Kofun Period, the Munakata clan developed devotion to the Munakata Three Goddesses through worship of the deity believed to dwell on Okinoshima.
Their burial grounds are known as the Shinhara-Nuyama Kofun Group.
Across an 800 m plateau with views of the sea leading toward Okinoshima, 41 mounds are scattered: five keyhole-shaped kofun, 35 round mounds, and one square mound.
The site was also inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2017.
Because features like mound shapes and surrounding moats remain visible, it’s a great place to enjoy a walk while exploring the kofun group.