Atago Forest and Green Protection Association

Atagoyama Kofun was located on the eastern peak of Mt. Atago (formerly known as Jonotsuji), where the "Core Mansion Marina Hills Muromi" is currently being built. However, the place where the tumulus existed was dug down about 20m due to the construction of a large condominium. The developer had agreed with the Buried Cultural Property Division of the Fukuoka City Board of Education to preserve the relocation and restoration after the field survey, but it was not implemented and it is currently unknown what happened to the ruins (big stones). is. The person in charge of the Buried Cultural Property Center has also confirmed that the current situation is unknown. An academic survey was conducted before the disappearance (July 1989), and the results are left as a survey report (1991) by the Atagoyama Tomb Survey Committee. The first half of the images below, other than the current photo, are taken from this report.
The Atagoyama tumulus was a small circular tumulus with a horizontal hole type stone chamber and a mound diameter of about 10 m. It is estimated to have been built in the latter half of the 6th century, but there is little definitive evidence, and the relationship with the so-called Sawara burial mounds, which exist in large numbers around it, is uncertain. According to the survey report, it is speculated that the tomb was a burial person's grave with a different character from the usual burial mounds due to its location, but it is said that there are still issues to be solved in future surveys and research, including the dating. It is written. It seems that more things could have been learned by using the rapidly advancing dating methods these days, but now that nothing is left, that is no longer possible. It's gone.
According to Mr. Hiroshi Nishijima, a former head of Meinohama Junior High School and a local historian (Nishijima, 1992) , in addition to this Atagoyama tumulus, there is a box-type sarcophagus on the summit of the eastern peak, which was held in the early Showa period. (Sono?) It is said that a sword swing (straight sword) was discovered by the excavation of Teruyasu and others. For some reason, the Atagoyama Tumulus Survey Report (1991) did not mention it at all, but it means that there were two tumuli in this eastern peak (!!). In fact, Mr. Nishijima photographed both the sarcophagus and the tumulus in 1977 (Showa 52) and kept a record (Nishijima, 1992, pp. 43-44, 47-52) . However, in the description of the positional relationship between the two, it is said that there was an old burial mound 20 m south of the box-type sarcophagus on the summit of Mt. Higashimine, but there are still doubts about this point. This is because the tumulus is located about 10m west of the summit of Mt. Higashimine in the location map according to the survey report (1991). In addition, the sword excavated from the box-type sarcophagus on the mountaintop was handed over to the school teacher by submitting it to Fukuoka City, but it disappeared after that, and it is stated that the details are unknown.
At the time of the survey in 1989, the stonework of the stone chamber of the Atagoyama tumulus had collapsed, but it was confirmed by Mr. Nishijima that it had retained its original shape at least as of 1977, and the interior turned pinkish reddish brown. It is painted and is a so-called decorated tumulus, but it is presumed to be an older decorated tumulus in the era, with no line carvings or murals drawn on it. In addition, Mr. Nishijima also wrote that there were about 30 devastated Jizo stone Buddha statues nearby. This was also the story of a local elderly person who wanted to know where there were such stone Buddhas and where they went.
Also, in the olden days, in the 1879 (Meiji 12) " Fukuoka 縣 Geographical Magazine (Sawara-gun Nobe)", "Atago Shrine No Tohoku. Doo clouds. 1812 years Mizunoesaru New year twenty-three days此所twisted sarcophagus wo drilling obtained Tari. FutaoHirakitemi Reha skeleton Arite,兠(Note 1) armor five feet餘No sword. three feet餘NoTsurugi knife ten five-neck. Yane five this length one feet餘Naruari.欵識, etc. (Note 2) story how Naru who Nariya knowledge-less. Motono如Ku much trouble wo taste milestone wo kente cloth. stone surface two Takenori God Roh three characters鐫 Reri (Note 3) . " From this content, it is thought that this is not about the Atagoyama tumulus, but about the box-shaped sarcophagus that was built at the top of the peak. This is consistent with the fact that the sword was found in the sarcophagus in the early Showa period (it is surprising that the reserves were left until then !!). There should be an old document that is the source of this text, but it is currently under investigation. We would like to name this sarcophagus "Shironotsuji sarcophagus" with the intention of properly retaining the existence of this sarcophagus.
In any case, it is a pity that we have no way to know the past now that the precious cultural assets that know the past of Mt. Atago have disappeared without a trace due to development. It will not be. In addition, I think that the way of "development" that ignores even the relocation / restoration measures as the next best measure for the protection of cultural properties and the attitude of developers should never be allowed in the future.

(Note) Since the old characters are used, there are places where the kanji notation is different.
(Note 1) 兠 is the old character of the helmet (Note 2) The upper part of the bias of the helmet is not "hi" but "upper". Kanshi = characters engraved on metal, etc.
(Note 3) There is a mountain crown in the character of the 鐫. Carving = carving

(Reference 1) Atagoyama Tumulus, Atagoyama Tumulus Investigation Committee (1991), https://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BN08139600
(Reference 2) Fukuoka Prefecture History Modern Historical Materials [25] Fukuoka Agata Geographical Journal 6, p. 228, edited by West Japan Cultural Association (1995)
(Reference 3) Local history magazine centered on Meinohama, pp. 43-52, Hiroshi Nishijima (1992)