Yoshimi Hyakuana, the hundred caves of Yoshimi

Yoshimi Hyakuana (the hundred caves of Yoshimi) is a cluster of tomb caves which is located in Yoshimi, Saitama.
It is a kind of tunnel tombs and was dug on the cliff of tuff.
Many Kofun (tumulus) were made at the Kofun period (between the end of 3 century to 7 century) in Japan, and Yoshimi Hyakuana was made at the later Kofun period, 6 century to 7 century.

At the early Kofun period, people had made big kofun for kings or heads of powerful families.
For the structure of the kofun at the times, the stone coffin inside had covered by stone huts and soil.
So when additional burials was made, people had to break the outside of the kofun once.

In contrast, tunnel tombs like Yoshimi Hyakuana was suitable for an additional burial.
People dug a cave and put a body inside, and set a cover made of stone on the entrance of the cave.
If they took off the cover, they could easily put another body inside again.
The big Kofun was for powerful people, and the tunnel tombs like Yoshimi Hyakuana were rather for ordinary people.

Ancient people made Yoshimi Hyakuana.
Besides that, also people in modern times dug tunnel under the same cliff of tuff.
In 1944 and 1945, a munitions factory was made under the ground of Yoshimi Hyakuana and area around there.
The factory was for making aircraft parts, and the tunnel for the factory was dug extensively under the ground.
Even today, the tunnel remains.

If you come Yoshimi Hyakuana, you can see that there are so many open caves on the cliff from the sidewalk.
Moreover, there is a precious thing to see.
In some of the caves, luminous mosses grow.
It is unusual that luminous mosses naturally grow in Kanto region.
It is worth to watch.

You can visit the caves of ancient tombs, the site of a factory at the war times and luminous moss at the same time.
Yoshimi Hyakuana will stimulate your imagination somehow.