In Japan, there are very special types of tombs that adorn the landscape between Osaka and Nara, both for their authenticity and their antiquity, and that makes them unique in the world. These are the Kofun tombs shaped like a keyhole and whose name refers to the period of their creation.
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| Daisenryo Kofun, 2.8 km in circumference and the largest kofun in Japan, is thought to be the Tomb of Emperor Nintoku |
Kofun Japan
Hundreds of years ago the Japanese built these gigantic tombs. Maybe they wanted to please the gods and the spirits of their ancestors? Probably, but today they amaze their descendants because any Japanese can not help but be surprised when they see the aerial photographs of the kofun, the keyhole-shaped tombs.
In ancient Japan, these large mound-shaped kofun tombs were then built. Not for normal citizens such a burial and it was intended only for the ruling elite. For example, in the northern part of Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture, there are more than 50 such tombs, larger or smaller.
Japan's keyhole-shaped Burial Mounds
The two largest tombs, the ones in the photograph, are around 1600 years old and were built with the typical keyhole. The wonderful thing is that so many centuries have been preserved and that today they are in the middle of a modern city. The set of tombs must measure about 4 kilometers in all directions and in total it has 46 tombs that were built approximately between the 4th and 6th centuries.
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| Tomb of Emperor Nintoku |
Nintoku Tomb
The Osaka Plain, Nara Basin, and the Cultural Center of the Kofun Period were home to the round keyhole-shaped tombs. They were very long, reaching up to the Mozu-Furuichi Kofunguns. These tombs are found in two kofun groups that date to the latter part of the 4th century and the beginning of the 6th century. These kofuns have the largest dimensions in the country. One grave mound, the Nintoku-tenno Ryo Kofun, is a 486-meter long tumulus that is enclosed by a moat. It is 840 meters long, It is twice the size of the Pyramid of Giza !, although it is only a quarter of its height and is believed to be the largest of its kind in the world. Richu-tenno ryo Kofun is also found in this cluster. It's a tumulus measuring 360m in length, and it is the third-largest in the country.
Furuichi cluster, a group of mounds located 10 km from the Mozu cluster, is another group. The Ojin-tenno ryo Kofun is 425 meters long and is said to be the country's second-largest. The group also includes 11 additional massive, massive, rounded, "keyhole-shaped Kofun", with a mound length measuring 200 meters.
Daisen Kofun
These funerary mounds have a unique feature: they include iron items, which are weapons worn by individuals, such as arrowheads and swords. Antiquities made from gilded Bronze such as horse tacks or sash buckles can also be found in these mounds. The Daisen Kofun mound measures approximately 500m in length and 300m wide at its widest point. The entire tomb area measures 840m. The mound is enclosed by three moats and rises about 35m above the terrain. At 60 meters, the inner moat is the largest of all the moats. The entire tomb covers 460,000 square meters.
The Imperial Household Agency, Sakai City's central protection agency, has declared the tomb off-limits. The moats are a refuge for waterbirds and fish. The mound is overgrown with vegetation. On the south side of this site is a viewing platform that can be accessed from the second (middle), moat. The Sakai City Museum is direct across the street from this viewing platform. It is located 500m from Mozu Station on Hanwa Line. The museum offers information on the kofun as well as its history. One of the best places to admire this and other tombs are in Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture. There are some 50 tombs called Mozu Kofungun, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2010.
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| Hashihaka Kofun in Sakurai City, Nara Prefecture, which is said to be the grave of Himiko, the Queen of Yamatai, is about 280 meters long in the 3rd century. |
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