Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 January 2015
Mounded tomb burial for the elite is the hallmark of Japan’s Kofun period (AD 280-700) This is also known to be the period of state formation, and the burials of the paramount chiefs or early kings are concentrated in the present-day prefectures of Nara and Osaka. This centre of power will be referred to in this article as the ‘central court’, in contrast to the surrounding regions of western Honshu such as Kyoto, Hyogo, and Okayama prefectures, which also have many mounded tomb burials. The central court in the 4th century is often called the Miwa Court and in the 5th century the Kawachi Court. The extent of influence or control of the central court over the regions in these centuries is an issue addressed in the following discussion.