Page:Nihongi by Aston.djvu/167

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136
Nihongi.

    mounds, one having a circular, the other a triangular base, merging into each other after the manner shown in the illustration, the whole being surrounded by a moat, or sometimes by two concentric moats with a narrow strip of land between. The interment took place on the circular mound, the other probably serving as a platform on which were performed the rites in honour of the deceased. Seen from the side the appearance is that of a saddle-hill, the circular mound being somewhat higher than the other. There are sometimes two smaller mounds at the base of the larger ones, filling up the angle where they meet. The slope of the tumulus is not

    Ground plan of Misasagi.

    Ground plan of Misasagi.

    regular, but is broken up by terraces, on which are placed in rows, a few inches apart, curious cylinders made of baked clay shaped in a mould, and measuring from 1 to 2 feet in height, and from 6 to 14 inches in diameter. They are buried in the earth, their upper rims being just level with the surface.

    In some, perhaps in most cases, the Misasagi contains a large vault of great unhewn stones without mortar. The walls of the vault converge