Conclusion: Characteristics and remaining points concerning the Nonaka Kofun

Having thus introduced The Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group, let us finally consider once again the historical significance of the Nonaka kofun, the center of this project.
As noted above, the Nonaka kofun holds a special position as the baicho or subsidiary tomb of the Hakayama Kofun. Unlike most tombs, its contents (burial goods, etc.) are mismatched with its burial mound size and shape.　
It is thought that the Kofun period included a wide-area order combining tomb size and burial mound shape. However, the subsidiary tombs are the clearest example that not all tombs mechanically followed these practices.
That is, a little burial mound like the Nonaka kofun contains a vast plenitude of burial goods which would not be out of place in a giant keyhole-shaped tomb with round rear mound over 100 meters long.
Its location is likewise close along the main keyhole-shaped tomb with round rear mound, suggesting an intimate connection. One interpretation of the subsidiary tombs posits people directly attached to the highest-ranked leaders and taking guiding roles as officials. The existence of these subsidiary tombs conceals important hints to the social structure of the time.

However, subsidiary tombs themselves include significant variation. For details, see Nonaka Kofun and the Age of the Five Kings of Wa: The Government and Military of 5th-Century Japan (Osaka University Press). For example, some tombs, such as the Konda-Maruyama Kofun, contain the highest degree of luxury items in small quantities thought to belong to an individual. In contrast, some tombs, like the Nonaka, Ariyama Kofun, and Nishi-Hakayama Kofun, contain far more iron burial goods than a single person could have been expected to own; the content of the burial goods suggests various different backgrounds to the construction of the tombs.
As well, the period of construction of the subsidiary tombs varies, from those like the Ariyama Kofun constructed shortly after their main tombs to those like the Nonaka kofun with more of a time lag. In the case of the Nonaka kofun, the question arises of why the subsidiary tomb was built not next to the tomb of a contemporary leader but near a major tomb of the previous era.
One possibility among many is that the builder of the subsidiary tomb had a personal connection to the person interred in the main tomb and focused on that, proudly maintaining their connection to the predeceased person interred in the main tomb. Conversely, that would indicate the kind of political and social structure where personal relations of this kind held sway.
Certain problems remain in this case, however. The Nishi-Hakayama Kofun, also a subsidiary of the same Hakayama Kofun, has been found through excavation to be a “burial facility” not used for the burial of the deceased.
Subsidiary tombs were not necessarily used to bury people, but also included associated facilities for main tombs. On that point, it remains a matter of debate whether or not anyone was ever buried in the Nonaka kofun.

The position diagram shows the positions of the burial goods in the Nonaka kofun from above and from the side. According to this diagram, the goods were buried in rows, of which the first row and the southern half of the second row were so packed with weapons and arms that nothing else would have fit in.
The major focus is the space at the north end of the second row. Red pigment was found here. Regarding the Nishi-Hakayama Kofun, referred to above as not designed for human burial, no dispersion of red pigment has been found; in general, red pigment was frequently sprayed on wooden coffins in tombs. Therefore, human burial is a likely possibility. However, the problem is that the range of the red pigment is only about 70 centimeters long. An adult male would not fit.

The red pigment suggests human burial, yet the space is too small. This confusing situation has led to longstanding debate over whether the tomb was in fact used for human burial.
The Nonaka kofun also includes third and fourth rows, but later mixing has rendered their original status unclear, so that it cannot be definitely said that there was no other space for human burial.
A focus on other elements is required in order to resolve this issue. For example, if the Nonaka kofun was not used for human burial, why was it built so long after the main tomb? If the burial goods in the subsidiary tomb belonged to the person interred in the main tomb, there was no reason to wait before burying them after the person’s death.
That said, there is insufficient evidence for human burial, and unfortunately at the moment no definitive ruling can be made. Because the question of whether people were buried in the Nonaka kofun and other subsidiary tombs is an important point related to the political structure of the time, research and discussion must continue.
Even allowing for this problem, discussed here in some detail, the Nonaka kofun is highly significant. It is extremely significant in its contents, the many weapons and arms representative of the period, which provide materials helping to clarify the production, logistics, and retention relations of the time. In particular, the superiority of possession of iron weapons and arms in the Kinki area and the major political and military power shown thereby have already become accepted theories.
In the future, new knowledge leading to the reconstruction of the actual politics and society of the time is expected to derive from the Nonaka kofun. A little tomb can hold the secrets to a vast image of history: this is the significance of archaeology, and also its delight. The key to solving these mysteries still lies beyond our ken.