Shimokomatsu Kofun Cluster

Overview

The Shimokomatsu Kofun Cluster is a group of ancient burial mounds spread across the hills of Kawanishi, in Higashiokitama District of Yamagata Prefecture. Consisting of six separate clusters, it is a large-scale archaeological site that was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 2000. The many mounds scattered along the wooded ridgelines offer a window into life and burial customs in the Tohoku region during the Kofun period.

Highlights

• ●A large-scale distribution of tombs in six separate clusters
• ●Academic value recognized by National Historic Site status
• ●Mounds scattered along the wooded ridgelines
• ●A historic setting that evokes the Kofun-period Tohoku

History

The tombs here were built during the Kofun period and are distributed across the hilltops in six distinct groupings. The mounds, shaped over a long span of time, hold considerable academic value, and in 2000 they were protected as a National Historic Site. Preserved together with the surrounding satoyama woodland, the area is passed down as a precious place that tells the region's history.

Map

38.0231, 140.0389 · Wikidata

Suggested itinerary

1. 1Head from central Kawanishi toward the wooded hills
2. 2Follow the hillside trail and observe how the tombs are distributed
3. 3Note how the six clusters relate to the terrain
4. 4Take in a sweeping view of the Yonezawa Basin from a high vantage point

Did you know?

💡 True to the word cluster in its name, the site is not a single tomb but a gathering of six separate groups, and so well-preserved a concentration is considered rare even within the Tohoku region.

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