Niinahara-Nuyan Kofungun (Tumulus Cluster)

Overview

The Niinahara-Nuyan Kofungun is a group of tumuli located in Fukutsu City, Fukuoka Prefecture, designated as a national historical site. Constructed during the latter half of the mid-Kofun period (late 5th to late 6th centuries), it's believed that those buried here were associated with the Munakata clan. In 2017, it was registered as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site as one of the component properties of "Island of Gods: Munakata's Okinoshima Island and Related Sites". The Niinahara-Nuyan Kofungun consists of 5 kofun (tumuli) with a keyhole shape (zenpou-kouen-fun), 1 square tumulus (hou-fun), and 41 round tumuli (en-fun), totaling 46 tumuli, spread across an 800-meter east-west stretch of hills. They are numbered for convenience. In addition, records, excavations, and topographic surveys indicate the existence of another 18 tumuli which have been lost due to the reclamation of surrounding paddy fields, and these too have been numbered. When the tumuli were constructed, an inland sea (an inlet where the present-day Tsuyazaki Bay extended deeply) was adjacent to the western side of the hills. However, this gradually receded, becoming salt fields during the Edo period and rice paddies after the Meiji period. At the Niinahara-Nuyan Kofungun, you can see tumuli of various sizes, including the largest, Tumulus No. 22. These tumuli are closely related to the Okinoshima rituals and are invaluable resources for understanding the power and beliefs of the ancient Munakata clan. The surrounding farmland is a product of generations of farming by local residents, and these rice paddies, along with the tumuli, are carefully maintained by the local community through activities such as grass cutting. The Niinahara-Nuyan Kofungun boasts a beautiful landscape where history and nature harmonize. Why not take a stroll and experience the romance of ancient times?