THE STORIES OF TOBI KOFUN

Tobiotsuka Kofun, 31/08/2019

Hi all, finally the sun came out! After days of heavy rains now the weather seems to be fine.

My home, the Kofun, is particularly shady and humid especially when it rains so it’s a perfect place to stay for me but not for the people who is visiting it! I’ve seen many of them working on the ground in the past days. Someone was excavating while other put strange objects into the soil. I cannot speak English or Italian but understood they’re looking for something.

Before it began my place, the kofun hosted a dead personage who was supposed to be a leader of his community.

Are they searching for his remains?

See you soon

Tobiotsuka Kofun, 07/09/2019

I have seen them digging on the ground for days now. The lights and the excited voices disturb my sleep. One of them shouts:" Arrow, arrow! "
They seem to have found a metal object that has been there for a long time. They discuss among themselves, they say they will have to take him to the laboratory to look at him better.
Laboratory? What is a laboratory? A friend long ago told me that it is a place with so many lights and strange machines.
Brrr, I shudder to think of it. Oh well, I hope that the darkness will soon fall so they will go away.

See you soon.

Tobiotsuka Kofun, 10/09/2019

Another season is about to end and I begin to get used to the presence of these new friends. I think they are very interested in this place and want to find out who was here before me.

I can't help them, I'm just a young bat! Of course, if my father or grandfather had been alive, everything would have been easier. But the thing begins to intrigue me and for days I observe their vans with interest.

Who knows where they will go in the evening. Where will they bring the objects they find? Maybe in that place they call "laboratory"?

My curiosity grows and I would like to know more.

I know that once I take courage and follow them.

See you soon.

Tobiotsuka Kofun, 25/02/2020

Winter makes me sleepy, soo sleepy. No one comes to visit, it’s cold and rainy: better stay inside and wait for spring to come. But then, I hear a noise: a couple of my Japanese and European friends have suddenly arrived.

What a surprise! I stretch my lazy wings to greet them, half open my eyes and tend my ears to understand what they are saying. They speak of my home, the Kofun; they say weird words, “pottery”, “data”, “glass”. I understand nothing but I am so curious. What will be the next time they will come? What will they do? I think it’s gonna be soon: better come out of my hibernation and get ready for them. But, please, just let me slumber five minutes more. I am such a sleepyhead!

See you soon

Tobiotsuka Kofun, 06/03/2020

What is that noise? I am scared but curious, I want to take a peep outside. I leave my home and I fly – brr, it’s still cold outside!

Then I see it: what a weird bird! He has four wings and he’s all grey, a tiny head and a big, big eye! Where are the feathers? He has none: maybe he is a bat like me. I try to talk to him but he only says Vrrr, vrrr, vrrr. What language is that? Perhaps he doesn’t want to speak to me.

I should ask my friends: they are just below him and it looks like they are speaking to him. They call him “drone”, but I still don’t know this kind of bird – I hope he doesn’t eat bats! It doesn’t seem like it, though; I hear them saying that they are asking him to explore the valley and look for Kofuns like my home. They could have asked me instead! I have so many friends here, we could have found them all in the blink of an eye. Well, the “drone” seems a nice guy anyway: maybe we can fly together if he likes. If he would only slow down! Hey drone, wait for me! Wait!

See you soon

Tobiotsuka Kofun, 29/09/2022

Hi all,
long time no see! Surely the world has changed much since the last time we met. While the world was battling one of the greatest challenges of these times, I took a small nap in my kofun…but now I am awake again!

Many things have happened around the Tobiotsuka Kofun. This summer my researchers friend finally came back to pay me a visit: they told me they were mapping other kofuns in the area and that they managed to find four more! They surely didn’t meet a bat as cute as I am though….They also told me that they decided to share a little what they learned in this years; I heard of a nice summer school at the University of Okayama and that all the people I met are there teaching students their different sciences – amazing! It is just a shame that I couldn’t join them – not much space for a kofun’s bat in a university…
However, this is not all. I hear that something big is happening, an exhibition showing all of their – pardon, our! – stories. I will let you know as soon as I know something more….

See you friends!

Tobiotsuka Kofun, 06/10/2020

Hi all,

Well, when I told you there were some news, indeed it was big news! My friends are finally ready to show all those years of work on the field in my nice kofun and in my brothers’! A big exhibition will open in Izumo, a very old city where my country Japan was born. You will find all the nice things they discovered and some of the beautiful stories they have told over all these years – I mean, I can’t be the only one enjoying those, they must be shared! I know they will open it on Friday the 7th of October. I wonder if I will be able to catch a train and go to Izumo…

See you friends!