Ancient Burial Mound Park

 大塚台古墳公園｜横須賀市池田町 - 三浦半島観光地図

== Ōtsukadai Kofun Park

The Otsuka Kofun is the largest keyhole-shaped burial mound on the Miura Peninsula, and it was actually located about 80 meters northeast of this park, at the summit with an elevation of around 77 meters. However, it disappeared due to a land readjustment project.

The Otsuka Kofun group was discovered in 1924 (Taisho 13) by Dr. Naotada Akaboshi.  

Excavations were conducted in 1952 (Showa 27) and from 1992 (Heisei 4) to 1994 (Heisei 6), confirming three keyhole-shaped burial mounds and three round burial mounds.

Within Otsukadai Kofun Park, Tumulus No. 1 is a restored kofun and is called the Otsuka Kofun.

It is a keyhole-shaped tumulus that was located at the top of the Otsukadai hill. From the top of the rear circular portion, at an elevation of about 78 meters, one could see far away to Mount Fuji and even as far as Tokyo Bay.

From the posterior circular part, a shallow pit-shaped coffin bed facing the east-west direction has been confirmed, measuring 3.05 meters along the major axis, 1.17 meters along the minor axis, and 35 centimeters in depth. The coffin bed is the place where the coffin was placed, but the coffin itself has not survived, possibly because it was made of wood.

Around the coffin bed, two straight swords, one small knife, more than fifteen iron arrowheads, two earrings, and more than forty small glass beads were excavated. Additionally, one piece of cracked Sue ware (unglazed pottery) was found in the earthen cover above the coffin bed.

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There were eight archaeological sites from various periods in the Yoshii-Ikeda area.

-- At the Otsukadai site, remains of early Jomon period dwellings and anti-aircraft gun positions from World War II were excavated.  

-- At the Aoike site, fragments of pottery from the middle Jomon period were excavated.  

-- At the Mitsuaridani site, remains of dwellings from the late Yayoi period to the early Kofun period, as well as burial mounds called hōkei shūkōbo (rectangular moat tombs), were excavated.  

-- At the Omochi site, Kami-Yoshii North site, and Kami-Yoshii South site, remains of dwellings from the late Kofun period through the Nara and Heian periods were excavated.  

-- At the Nishitani site, stone-lined underground channels from around the Sengoku period were excavated.

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There is a large jar used for storing food. The fact that such a large jar can be made suggests the advancement of pottery-making techniques and the abundance of food.

This large jar is called "Sue ware", a type of new pottery introduced from Korea.  Since it is fired at high temperatures in a full-scale kiln, it is hard and durable.

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Iron arrowheads (arrow tips made of iron) were attached to the tip of an arrow to enhance its lethality.

In the early Jomon period, stone arrowheads made of stone or bone arrowheads made of bone were mainstream.  In the Yayoi period, they began to be made of bronze, and in the Kofun period, they came to be made of iron.

Since iron was not something that everyone could obtain, as time went on, the gap between the rich and poor, and between rulers and the ruled, widened.