A major archaeological excavation site in Yoshinogari, Saga Prefecture, uncovered a tomb with a stone coffin about 2.3 meters long, dating to the latter part of the Yayoi period (about 1000 B.C. to 250 A.D.). It is the largest stone coffin found so far in the ruins of Yoshinogari. The ruins of Yoshinogari refer to a large settlement surrounded by a moat that existed from about the fifth century B.C. to the middle of the third century A.D.
Prefectural authorities have stated that it may be the tomb of someone who was in power when the settlement of Yoshinogari was at its peak. To date, no graves of anyone in power from the second half of the middle Yayoi period to the late Yayoi period, when the settlement expanded significantly, have been found in the ruins of Yoshinogari.
The stone coffin is closed and covered by four stone covers. The size of the grave is about 3.2 meters. This is about 1.5 times the diameter of a typical grave pit for stone coffin graves previously found at this site. The coffin was buried separately in the hill, suggesting that it was the grave of an influential figure.
The surface of two of the four stone lids show numerous linear shapes, believed to have been applied to the surface with sharp metal tools, that resemble the “x” or Japanese katakana, pronounced “ki.” These shapes are said to have had the power to protect the buried person from evil.
The prefectural government plans to open the casket on June 5 and hopes to find the grave inventory. Kinya Hosokawa, deputy director of the department for the protection and use of cultural property in the prefectural government, notes that “since the casket is so large, we might as well find the grave inventory.”
The ruins of Yoshinogari are considered a typical settlement, surrounded by a moat, during the heyday of the yayoi culture. The existence of this settlement is associated with the Yamatai state, which existed between the second half of the second century and the middle of the third century.