Wednesday, February 13, 2019

Maiko Park, Anciant Tomb:Gosikizuka Kofun, Kobe City, Hyogo, Japan

Maiko Area, Tarumi-ku is an another scenic spot in Kobe Warterfront. It was known as a beautiful beach with sands and green pines untill WW2. Poets and painters took landscape of Maiko Beach as their objects once. However, pine trees were decayed with air polution and pine wood namatode after the last war. Local comunity and government try to preserve and revive pine woods, so they are getting better year by year recently.
Many tourists visit there to enjoy the view, but their main purposes are Akashi Kaikyo Bridge instead of those pines today.


 Akashi Kaikyo Bridge is 3.911m, it is the longest suspnension bridge in the world.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akashi_Kaikyō_Bridge
 I sometimes drive through this bridge to go to Shikoku, I feel swinging bridge with wind. So it is closed with blowing at 25m around.

Old mansions built with western style dotted in thhe Area between Shioya and Maiko, this is one of them. It is founding father of ROC, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall for the political refugee in Maiko. Thus many Chinese tourists visit there.


 Maiko Area has been known as hotels with gourmet restaurant, those hotel are located on the places with a fine view.


 Now for the another spot.
 Goshikizuka Kofun is an ancient tomb burried the leader of powerful clan. It is probably only one tomb where people can climb up in Japan. It is restored original condition, It is very clear to see unique shape. This shape looks like keyhole, but it was designed for horizontal view, not but bird's-eye view by ancient people. Personally I guess trapezium part was something magical purpose of powerful dead-leader's spiritual path from tomb to their community or lands.




 Nice view!!




5 comments:

  1. Beautiful photos as usual, Macho Hazard! Well done! I can imagine crossing on the bridge as there are two bridges connecting Penang Island to the mainland that are quite long. However, they are not suspended. So, I wouldn't get the sensation of the swinging bridge. It must be frightening if you are crossing when a sudden strong wind blows..
    I didn't know that there is a Sun Yat Sen memorial there. There are many memorials to him around Asia, including one in Penang.
    I like the European style building in your photo. It reminds me of a mansion.
    That keyhole burial tomb looks spectacular. I wonder why there are many keyhole shaped burial grounds in Japan. I know there are two in Kyoto.. i think ;)

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    1. Thank you so much! I got frigtened with handling my car on this bridge... The waves are not rough but winds and sea currents are quite fast on this channel.
      Actually numerous keyhole tombs are remained all over Japan without a few areas. The most important tombs are concentrated in both Nara and Osaka Prefectures. Because the king's court( they didn't call themselves emperor yet) located around these areas. Imperial Hosehold Agency claims over 800 tombs are past "emperor's". So it is often argued whether they are truely emperors' tombs or not between archaeologists and the agency. Because those kings or emperors did not leave any records. A reliable thing is keyhole tombs were invented by king of Yamato Region (Nara or eastern Osaka) and it set a trend among the other local leaders. If you are interested with the keyhole tombs, so huge ones are seen in Mozu area of Osaka. However, entrance is prohibited by the agancy unlike Gisikiduka Kofun here.

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  2. Macho, it must be a big mystery for the researchers of the tombs. no records means that everything is just speculation. i wonder if any kings after the dead kings destroyed all written records. just like the Egyptians when they want to wipe out all memories of their bad kings.

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  3. It is said they didn't have any written language at that time. Simply they didn't need it yet, I guess. Because their political system and diplomacy were simple too, and not severe unlike ancient china, egypt or northern nomads in Asia. I guess it was similar to some native americans' system or prehitoric Slavs.

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