Mozu Kofun

I got off the train at Mozu Station and made my way through Daisen Park to go to Mozu Kofun. This had been a place I wanted to visit since I first saw a picture of the key hole looking tomb that no one is allowed to visit. It is surrounded by water. (At the end of this post is information from japan-guide.com.)

 

There are many smaller kofun mounds around the park. Some I wouldn’t have noticed if it weren’t for the signs. It is a large area, but I was able to find my way around with the help of these signs and google maps.

It was a beautiful day - perfect for walking around, looking for these mounds.

I went to the Sakai City Hall 21st floor Observatory. There was great information, as well as the view. The green area is the large keyhole looking Kofun.

Below is an exhibit -

Below was my view -

Below is another exhibit with labels -

I’m glad I was able to visit the Mozu Kofun.

Information from Japan-Guide.com

The Mozu Tombs (百舌鳥古墳群, Mozu Kofungun) are a cluster of several dozen ancient tombs in the Mozu area of Sakai City, immediately south of Osaka City. The cluster, along with some other tombs in the region, makes up the "Mozu-Furuichi Kofungun Ancient Tumulus Structures", which were designated a Cultural World Heritage Site in 2019.

The tombs were built in the 4th to 6th centuries for the ruling elite, with the larger, more elaborately shaped mounds signifying higher status than smaller and simpler ones. The largest of the tombs is the Emperor Nintoku Kofun which is believed to be the tomb of Emperor Nintoku. With the surrounding moats included, the tomb is about 800 meters long and 600 meters wide, making it not only Japan's largest grave, but also one of the world's largest. Less than a kilometer away lies the Emperor Richu Kofun, the third largest tomb in Japan.

Kofun tombs are large mounds of earth. Originally kept relatively free of vegetation, today most of them are covered by trees. Many of the larger tombs, including the ones of Emperor Nintoku and Emperor Richu, are of a keyhole shape and surrounded by moats. The tombs are generally not open to the public, and the larger ones are difficult to fully appreciate unless viewed from a high vantage point. The free observation deck on the 21st floor of the Sakai City Hall allows for such views from about a kilometer away.

A large number of medium and small sized kofun tombs are spread across the spacious and pleasant Daisen Park which stretches between the kofun of Emperor Nintoku and Emperor Richu.