"The Hakusorei, A Decree For Simplifying Burials
−The End of the Tumuli."
In the year 645 A. D. , Prince Naka-no-oe along with Nakatomi-no-
Kamatari initiated a reformation. As a result, in the following
year, the group issued a famous edict that announced a new year name―
Taika, or "great change" ―and instituted an ambitious
reorganization of the poltical order. In this new system, the
building of large tumuli, or burial mounds, was strongly discouraged.
And soon after, the proposed "Decree for simplfiying Burial" became law.
However, recent excavations have confirmed that as late as the latter
part of the 7th century, large corridor-style Burial Chambersimilar
to the Sadakita Tumulus in Okayama Prefecture were still being built.
And this is has led to the belief that a direct relationship between
the "Decree For Simplifying Burials" and the end of the tumuli was a
miscorception.
Excavations at the Sadakita Tumulus have yielded large, reddish-brown
earthenware-like caskets; unglazed ceramics; iron arrowheads; and a
rich variety of artifacts.
On the other hands, at Osaka Prefecture's Abuyama Tumulus, which is
believed to be the resting place of the country's most powerfull
figure at the end of the 7th century, Fujiwara-no-Kamatari ,
researchers have excavated a modest black lacquerware casket that
could only possibly fit one person. And this casket only contained a
pillow woven with beads.
Through this special exhibition, you'll be able to get a glimpse of
how that state decree affected the society of the time, and how it
brought about the end of tumuli.
