The Kofun period of Japanese history is named after the large earthen burial mounds, many of them keyhole-shaped, built for the elite. The largest, the Daisen Kofun near Sakai, traditionally linked to Emperor Nintoku, is among the biggest tombs in the world by area. The period saw the rise of the Yamato polity in the Kinai region, which gradually extended its authority over much of the archipelago. Contacts with the Korean peninsula brought immigrants who introduced ironworking, horse riding, new pottery techniques and writing in Chinese characters. Clay figures called haniwa were placed on the mounds, and Chinese records mention the kings of Wa sending envoys. The period ended with the arrival of Buddhism and the shift to the Asuka period.
Before and after
- 238 CEConstruction of Roman amphitheatre of El Jem
- c. 240 CEEruption of Ksudach
- 245 CERise of Neoplatonism
- 250 CEDeath of Nagarjuna
- from 250 CE to 538 CEKofun period
- from 266 CE to 420 CEJin dynasty
- 271 CEOrigins of Gundeshapur
- 271 CEConstruction of Aurelian Walls
- 27 February 272 CEBirth of Constantine the Great
More in Civilizations & archaeology
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- c. 2,560 BCEConstruction of Great Pyramid of Giza
- 600 BCEFounding of Milan
- from January 27 BCE to January 395 CERoman Empire
- 11 May 330 CEConstantine dedicates Constantinople
- 25 March 421 CEFounding of Venice
The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires. You can also browse everything in the 3rd century.