Konabe Kofun
Konabe Kofun
Konabe Kofun is another large burial mound. Its size and alignment are very similar to Uwanabe Kofun. It also has a name phonetically spelled in katakana, as used to spell non-Japanese words: コナベ or ko-na-be.
| Location | 135.8034° E 34.6977° N |
| Length | 204 meters |
| Circle diameter | 125 meters |
| Width at base | 129 meters |
| Height | 20 meters |
| Orientation | ~353° |
There is a Japanese Wikipedia page, but that plus Google Translate isn't very helpful.
The adjacent Japanese Air Self-Defense Force base is described as an "Executive School Opinion School" or a "Executive School Compensation School". OK, so it's some sort of officers' training facility.
While they're nearly identical in dimensions and orientation, Konabe is a little older than Uwanabe.
The circular mound has three tiers, and some limited scientific investigation has found a ring of haniwa figures at each tier.
The Kofun
The first picture below is looking south-west from the lane between Uwanabe and Konabe. We're on the outskirts of Nara, there are small farms and large gardens here. The huge city of Ōsaka is over that ridgeline in the distance.
In the pictures above and below we're at the southeastern corner of the moat.
In the picture above we're looking north up the length of the east side of the moat. I'll walk up that road along the edge of the moat. The JASDF base is just over the fence along that road.
Below, I'm about halfway along the moat and we're looking at the notch in the east side of the kofun at the base of the circular part.
In the last two pictures above we're walking around the northeast quadrant of the moat. At the top center of the moat we will turn to the right and continue to the Kofun of Empress Iwa-no-hime.
Where next?
The above is specific to the kofun around Nara. Or maybe you want to explore other places in Japan.
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