Mysterious ‘keyhole’ Mozu Tombs

Among them, there are 44 old burial mounds, including one of the world's three largest tombs, that of the Emperor Nintoku

Osaka’s Mozu Tombs – formally known as Mozu-Furuichi Kofungun – were registered as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site in July 2019. Among them, there are 44 old burial mounds, including one of the world’s three largest tombs, that of the Emperor Nintoku.

Kofun, also known as megalithic tombs, are gigantic burial mounds that were built between the latter half of the 3rd century and the latter half of the 6th century.

They are large mounds in which people of high status were buried at that time. They are configured in the shape of a keyhole described as being square at the front and rounded at the rear, the front area being short so that they very much resemble scallop shells which also results in them as being described as scallop-shaped mounds. Their sizes range from about 10 meters upwards. The largest one is more than 400 meters in size.

Emperor Nintoku’s reign

Emperor Nintoku was the 16th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Historians consider details about the life of Emperor Nintoku to be possibly legendary, but probable. The name Nintoku-tennō was created for him posthumously by later generations.

Very little is known about the events of Nintoku’s life and reign. Only limited information is available for study prior to the reign of the 29th monarch, Emperor Kimmei. Nintoku’s reign is marked by Japan’s first large-scale engineering projects.

Amazing features

The Mozu Tombs cluster is spread over about a 4-kilometer area going east to west and north to south within the city of Sakai. There are several large burial mounds here, such as the tomb of Emperor Nintoku (the largest mound in Japan), the tomb of Emperor Richu (the third largest), and the Nisanzai Tombs.

Today 44 tombs remain, however during the 4th to 5th centuries more than one hundred such tombs were built in this area. Nowhere else in Japan can so many different shaped ancient tombs ranging in sizes and scale be found in one area such as here which also includes the Furuichi Burial Mounds.

The Emperor Nintoku Mausoleum is said to be one of the world’s three largest tombs, along with the pyramid of King Kufu in Egypt, and the Mausoleum of the first Qin Emperor of China. This keyhole-style burial mound is the longest in the world at 486 meters.

The mausoleum is thought to have been constructed during the fifth century by approximately 2,000 people working tirelessly for almost 16 years.  Emperor Nintoku’s mausoleum and the surrounding Mozu Kofun Tombs were designated as UNESCO World Heritage Site in the summer of 2019.

Bicycle museum

The Bicycle Museum Cycle Center is a recommended spot in Daisen Park and it is within walking distance from the Emperor Nintoku Mausoleum. This is the only bicycle museum in Japan and introduces the 200-year history of bicycle development through about 300 actual exhibits.

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