뉴스레터

I had a chance to survey keyhole-shaped tombs along Yeongsan River over the summer. It was a great opportunity to take a close look at all thirteen tombs discovered thus far. The existence of keyhole-shaped tombs became widely known in the 1980s. Keyhole-shaped tombs are found along Yeongsan River in southwestern Jeollanam-do. They are dated to the late 5th century and early 6th-century, limited in timeframe to a single generation. Keyhole-shaped tombs are known to be unique to Japan, which is why there is heightened interest and debate among Korean and Japanese scholars over the identity of the tombs' occupants and the nature of the keyhole-shaped tombs found in Korea.

Why are the keyhole-shaped tombs in Korea a source of controversy?

The mainstream view in the Japanese academic circle is that key-hole shaped tombs are from the Kofun period (4th-6th century) and built for the ruling class of the Yamato dynasty. The areas where keyhole-shaped tombs are found are considered to have been subjugated and governed by the Yamato administration. In Japan, keyhole-shaped tombs are found throughout the country save the northeastern regions. The controversy over the keyhole-shaped tombs in Korea stems from the suggestion that they indicate Japan's influence on the Korean Peninsula and from the possibility that this conception can develop into an academic theory that the Yamato dynasty's sphere of influence extended beyond Japan. During the period of Japanese colonial rule, the Japanese Governor-General of Joseon undertook a massive archeological excavation in the region where Gaya once stood in order to find material evidence to support Japan's claim that the Yamato administration had advanced to the southern regions of the Korean Peninsula in the late 4th century and ruled over Baekje, Silla, and Gaya (Mimana). In his book History of Mimana's Rise and Fall (1949), Suematsu Yasukazu [末松保和] claims that the four prefectures of Mimana extended to the Yeongsan River basin, corroborated by Japanese-style tomb structures and Japanese artifacts discovered in the region. The discovery of keyhole-shaped tombs in Korea, in conjunction with Japan's claims, has therefore been a source of heated debate among Korean and Japanese scholars.

Who are the occupants of the keyhole-shaped tombs along Yeongsan River?

The most controversial aspect of the debate centers on the identity of the people buried in the keyhole-shaped tombs along Yeongsan River. Some claim the occupants of the tombs were Japanese; others, Baekje people of Japanese descent; and still others, powerful local figures. There are also slight variations within each theory. In the meantime, there are hardly any historical records on the rulers of the region around the time the keyhole-shaped tombs are thought to have been constructed.

For the first claim—that the occupants of the tombs were Japanese—to hold true, it must be assumed that all 13 tombs belonged to Japanese people. There must also be traces of a collective settlement of Japanese culture as well as a clear explanation on the historical background behind how the Japanese managed to gain power almost instantaneously over a vast region. If the keyhole tombs did in fact belong to Japanese people, those people had probably come to Korea not for simple, one-time exchanges but to settle down permanently as immigrants or exiles. They would have come to Korea some time before the tombs were erected, which puts the approximate date of their settlement in Korea within the scope of the following timeframe: the second quarter of the 5th century to the first quarter of the 6th century. However, no historical record has been found on any political or military event that would have triggered a large-scale migration from northern Kyushu and other parts of Japan to the Korean Peninsula. Even after the rebellion led by a clan leader in northern Kyushu by the name of Iwai in the early 6th century, Iwai and his clan survived by pledging submission to the Yamato administration; there are no signs of a large-scale exile. There could have been migrants from the southern regions of the Korean Peninsula to Japan who returned to Korea for one reason or another. However, they would have most likely returned to Gaya or Baekje—areas from which there are records of large-scale migrations to Japan, not to regions where they did not have any family or friends. As for the theory that the occupants of the keyhole-shaped tombs along Yeongsan River were Japanese bureaucrats in Baekje, there is an inconsistency in terms of the time period. Moreover, as they would have been officials from the Japanese central government engaging in diplomatic activities, it is highly unlikely that they would have been buried in the Yeongsan River basin.

(Left) Daisen kofun in Sakai City, Japan. The tomb is 4860m long and is the largest
keyhole-shaped tomb in Japan. Keyhole-shaped tomb in Haenam. (Right)

The second claim posits that Japanese from northern Kyushu and other areas of Japan ended up settling down on the Korean peninsula after many years of exchanges and became powerful clans. However, it is hard to say that a phenomenon that happened simultaneously over a vast region during a specific time period lasting only a generation is the result of long-term exchanges. Moreover, even if there was mass migration from Japan, it is difficult to imagine the new settlers to have so rapidly risen to power and had the means and influence to build larger and more imposing tombs than those of the indigenous population. It must also be assumed that the Japanese migrants dispersed throughout a large region, with each group developing its center of power in order to explain the 13 tombs. However, this would have only been possible if the indigenous residents of the Yeongsan River basin were not powerful enough to resist the Japanese settlers or if the area was deserted. Therefore, the most plausible theory is that the keyhole-shaped tombs belonged to powerful, indigenous figures.

Why were the keyhole-shaped tombs constructed?

The keyhole-shaped tombs along Yeongsan River exhibit multiple cultural influences, holding Baekje-style, Gaya-style, and Japanese-style artifacts. It is evidence that the region engaged more actively in cultural exchanges with neighboring powers than had once been thought. It also demonstrates the changes in the cultural consciousness of the ruling class that actively adopted new cultures, transforming the funerary culture, for instance, by shifting from traditional far coffins to keyhole-shaped tombs and then to passageway-chamber-style burials. This is indicative of a politically-motivated change in the ruling class' worldview, undertaking cultural innovations to secure autonomy.

During the same period, Gaya, situated to the east of Seomjin River, was doing its part to maintain autonomy by actively engaging Japan and other neighboring powers through diplomacy as Baekje and Silla were teetering. The various communities of the Yeongsan River area would have known about Gaya's active diplomatic maneuvering. Both Gaya and Yeongsan River communities were constantly harassed by stronger powers. Therefore, the latter must have closely monitored southern Gaya, also situated in the Yeongsan River basin. It is likely that the communities of Yeongsan exchanged information and sought to establish a united front. The keyhole-shaped tombs may have been a symbolic, political manifestation of their partnership and alliance. While the communities may have not have been organized into a tight coalition, they may have wanted to express their unity by constructing tombs that were uniform in appearance. The keyhole-shaped tombs appeared simultaneously over a short time period; they cannot be explained away simply as an instance of cultural transmission and adoption. These tombs could not have sprung up in this way without a sense of solidarity among the rulers of the region's communities.

But why would they have chosen the keyhole-shape tomb as a symbol of their alliance? As for the appearance of the tomb, there is no doubt it was introduced by the Japanese or acquired by the communities of Yeongsan River through interactions with the Japanese. Round burial mounds are limited in terms of size. There is a high possibility that the keyhole-shaped tomb was chosen for its grandeur. Keyhole-shaped tombs began appearing in the late 5th century, which is when Baekje started its invasion of the Yeongsan River basin, and they continued to be constructed until the first quarter of the 6th century when the area was turned into Baekje's regional administrative district. Hence, the keyhole-shaped tombs along Yeongsan River appear to be a political symbol through which the area's communities attempted to manifest their alliance against Baekje.