440 AKNTJAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1953 



until a large earth burial mound had been built up which measured 

 6 meters high and 110 meters long. As mentioned, the entranceway 

 to these rooms had been destroyed beyond recognition. However, 

 based upon a study of other tombs of this type, it is believed that the 

 entrance had been built originally facing south and was covered with 

 a heavy pile of stone. 



Inside the chamber, slightly to the left of center near the west 

 wall, was the crude sarcophagus (pi. 2), made of 6 stone slabs, all 

 grooved on the inside to add stability to the construction. Underneath 

 the sarcophagus 10 small rock slabs had been wedged to make it sit 

 level. The interesting thing about this stone coffin and the other 

 chlorite schist stones in the tomb is that this particular variety of rock 

 is not found locally but only at a certain quarry in Chichibu District 

 of Saitama-ken Prefecture about 200 kilometers from Kinreizuka in 

 Kasarazu District. The preference for this stone must indeed have 

 been great when the size of some of these slabs and the distance they 

 had to be transported are considered. The following table gives 

 weight and dimensions of the chlorite schist slabs used to form the 

 sarcophagus : 



CONTENTS OF THE STONE CHAMBER 



When one of the roof slabs fell into the inner chamber, it would be 

 supposed that it disturbed the original position of the offerings. The 

 looting of some of the stone from the entranceway could have further 

 disarranged the contents of the tomb. But careful examination seems 

 to indicate that neither of these occurrences disturbed the original 

 position of any of the materials or bodies placed inside the chamber. 

 The main destruction had resulted from decay and corrosion. 

 Although all traces of wood had been destroyed, there had apparently 

 been several wooden structures inside the chamber; patterns of iron 

 nails suggested wooden shelves and coffins. From the accumulation 

 of pottery in the rear of the chamber and the intermixture of nails 

 and decayed matter it is highly probable that wooden shelves had been 

 built inside the chamber to hold some of the vessels buried with food 

 offerings. Further evidence of another wooden structure is connected 

 with the remains of one body. Decay had destroyed all evidence of the 

 coffin, but the accumulation of iron nails, seven swords, amber and 

 crystal beads, a bronze mirror, horse trappings, gold bells, a bronze 



