---
node: kofun
type: period
slug: kofun_period
title: "Kofun period"
lead: "The Kofun period (c. 250–538) is named for the great keyhole-shaped burial mounds of the elite; in this era the Yamato polity consolidated its primacy, forming the core of the later imperial line."
published: 2026-07-09
updated: 2026-07-09
image_file: kofun_period.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Clevelandart_1957.27.jpg"
image_author: "Unknown"
image_license: "CC0"
---

## Overview

The period takes its name from the kofun, the burial mounds of the elite, famed for their great keyhole shape. During these centuries the Yamato polity consolidated its primacy — the core of the later imperial line.

## Key developments

The largest mound, Daisen Kofun in Sakai — attributed by tradition to Emperor Nintoku (5th century) — is among the largest tombs on earth by area; the Mozu-Furuichi mound groups became UNESCO World Heritage in 2019. Haniwa clay figures ringed the mounds. Immigrants from the continent (toraijin) brought Chinese writing, ironworking and other technologies.

## End and transition

The period conventionally ends in 538, when the official introduction of Buddhism opened the Asuka period.