A new satellite image study has shown that ancient Japanese tombs align so they all face towards the rising sun.
There are hundreds of old burial mounds scattered across Japan. The largest is Kofun and it’s shaped like an open keyhole.
There are few details about monuments that can measure up to 1,600ft. However, there is no record of excavations. Access to these smaller sites is restricted, if not prohibited.
The team at the Polytechnic University of Milan, Italy was able to use high-resolution satellite imagery to uncover more information about these mysterious monuments.
Satellite imagery showed the relationships between monuments and landscape, as well as the sky. It was found that they are oriented to the arc created by the rising sun.
According to researchers, this was not an accident.
According to satellite imagery, ancient Japanese tombs have been aligned in a way that faces the rising sun. This is according to a recent study.
You can find hundreds of burial mounds from ancient times scattered throughout the Japanese Islands.
They were built in the third to seventh centuries CE.
The smaller moments were probably occupied by court officers who served those first Emperors along with members of the royal families.
Daisen Kofun (the largest of all monuments built in the world) is among them. It measures 1,600ft by 118ft tall.
The tomb was originally attributed to Emperor Nintoku (16th emperor) of Japan. It belongs to a group recently designated UNESCO World Heritage Status.
The Italian team claims that there is no documented source for these tombs. This makes finding their history and details more difficult.
The fact that excavations for the tombs have been rarer than the larger monuments adds to historians’ problems.
The reason is that the most important tombs have been considered to be the semi-legendary first emperors. As such they are tightly protected by law.
Protection extends outside as well. Many monuments are fenced so that archaeologists cannot even get within the grounds’ perimeter.
The team stated that it was impossible to measure size, height, and orientation accurately.
These monuments were constructed between the third century and the seventh century CE. The most impressive was dedicated to semi-legendary Japanese first emperors.
Satellite imagery showed the relation between monuments and landscape. It also revealed that they were orientated to the arc created by the rising sun.
Additionally, the sheer amount of monuments discourages on-the-ground investigations as they are prohibitively expensive.
It is because of this that the team decided to use high-resolution satellite photos – described as “powerful tools for remote sensing investigations”.
The Politecnico di Milano’s study authors Arianna Picotti, Norma Baratta and Giulio Malgli sought to understand the connections between monuments and landscape, and in particular the relationship with the sky.
Over the course of the satellite surveys, more than 100 Kofuns were orientated by the team.
Arianna Picotti, Norma Baratta and Giulio Madio, Politecnico di Milano study authors, set out to improve our understanding of the relationship between monuments and landscape, and in particular with the sky.
Researchers say this is not accidental. They claim it’s in accordance with both the Japanese imperial tradition and the mythical origins of the dynasty which, as they consider them to be direct descendants of Sun Goddess Amaterasu
The monuments have few details, including their lengths of up to 1,600 feet. There is not much written information. Excavations are limited and restricted to smaller areas, so access to them can be strictly prohibited or denied.
The Kofun entrance corridors were connected to the sky, where both the Sun and Moon are visible each day of the year.
They show that the orientation of the hugest keyhole-shaped Kofuns to the arc of the Sun rising/shining, in particular, the Daisen Kofun is oriented towards the Sun rising at the winter solstice.
Remote Sensing published the findings.