A scallop-shaped mound on the north bank of the Mozu River. Sakai City gives its reconstructed mound length as 84.8m, excluding the moat. Its rear circle is 67.6m across and 8m high, and its front section was 32m wide. Built in the late 5th century, it lost most of its moat and front section to agricultural and residential development. The rear circle and a fragment of moat at the north-east corner survive as a National Historic Site. The conserved site opened to the public on 26 April 2025.
Finds & research
A row of haniwa has been confirmed on the rear-circle terrace. Ground-penetrating radar suggests a central burial facility, but its structure and grave goods have not been confirmed.
Official status & archaeological view
Official status
A National Historic Site owned by Sakai City. It was integrated into and added to the Mozu Kofun Group designation in 2014.
Archaeological view
Sakai City's individual site description states that ground-penetrating radar in fiscal 2008 indicated a possible burial facility at the center of the rear circle, and that excavation in fiscal 2011 confirmed two tiers and a row of haniwa on the terrace. The city's 2023 conservation and utilization plan instead dates the excavation that confirmed the two tiers and haniwa row to fiscal 2012, so the sources differ on the year. Details of the burial facility and grave goods remain unconfirmed. The 2023 plan reconstructs the mound length as 84.8m and the total length including the moat as 97.0m. The city's second-phase development plan (2025) gives 84.8m in its list of mounds and 48.8m in its individual site summary. The reason for the difference in length has not been established.
Field notes
Conservation work was completed in fiscal 2024, and the site has been open to the public since 26 April 2025.