| Location | Sakai-ku, Sakai, Osaka |
|---|---|
| Shape | Keyhole-shaped mound |
| Mound length | 486 m |
| Period | Early–mid 5th c. |
| Designation | IHA-managed tomb |
| World Heritage | Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group (UNESCO) |
| IHA designation | Managed by the IHA (mound closed to the public) |
At 486m in the published Sakai City and Agency for Cultural Affairs figures, this is Japan's longest burial mound. An IHA survey measured 525.01m at the present floor of the first moat, but does not treat that figure as the original mound length. The three-tiered keyhole mound rises to about 35.8m at the rear circle (about 249m across) and 33.9m at the front section (about 307m wide) in Sakai City's figures. It is the only giant keyhole mound ringed by triple moats, and the total area including water reaches about 47 hectares — roughly 12 Koshien Stadiums. Stone-paved slopes (fukiishi) once covered the mound, and rows of cylindrical haniwa were set on the summits, at the waist and at the end of the front section. Its length exceeds even that of the Great Pyramid of Giza (230m), though its volume (about 1.4 million m³) is smaller than the pyramid's (about 2.6 million m³). Inscribed in July 2019 as part of the "Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group" UNESCO World Heritage Site (Japan's 23rd WHS). Note: "Nintoku Tenno-ryo" is the name based on the IHA's attribution; archaeologists distinguish it as "Daisenryo Kofun" or "Daisen Kofun." Some rank this alongside the Great Pyramid and the First Emperor's Mausoleum as one of the world's three greatest tombs.
The rear-circle burial is uninvestigated; the pit-style stone chamber and nagamochi-gata sarcophagus exposed on the south slope of the front section in 1872 were recorded along with gilt copper-plate armour, glass vessels and other items, and then reburied. Cylindrical and figural haniwa (human figures, horses, deer, waterfowl, houses, parasols and others) have been recovered from the mound and moats, and a Sue ware jar from the projection on the east side of the waist. The Sakai City Museum displays replicas of the excavated haniwa (the originals are held by the IHA). The IHA Archives and Mausolea Department investigated the first embankment in fiscal 2018 (with Sakai City's cooperation) and in fiscal 2021 and has published the results, but no investigation of the mound interior has been carried out.
A moat-side promenade circles the outer moat in about 2.8km (40 min walk). The Sakai City Museum in adjacent Daisen Park displays haniwa and related finds. The free observation lobby (MI-TE Sakai) on the 21st floor of the Sakai City Hall high-rise building gives a view of the mound's general outline, though Sakai City notes that the whole mound is hard to take in with the naked eye. The mausoleum is at Daisen-cho, Sakai-ku, Sakai, Osaka. Per the IHA, it is about a 7-minute walk from JR Mozu Station, and worship is generally possible year-round from 8:30 to 17:00. The goryoin (mausoleum seal) is kept at the Furuichi Mausolea Office in Habikino, Osaka, where visitors can use it free of charge (reception 8:30–17:00; staff may be unavailable on weekends, holidays, 29 Dec–3 Jan and some other days).
World Heritage guide featuring this kofunMozu-Furuichi World Heritage Kofun A Visitor's Guide to the 49 Tombs →Last updated:
If you spot an error or anything unclear, please contact the operator, MICHI Corporation, at contact@michi-collective.com (how to report).