Sakai, Osaka Keyhole-shaped mound

Mozu Otsukayama Kofun (site)

LocationSakai, Osaka
ShapeKeyhole-shaped mound
Mound length168 m
PeriodLate 4th–early 5th c.

Overview

A 168m keyhole mound that was once 5th largest in the Mozu group. Destroyed by 1985.

Finds & research

Emergency salvage excavation by Sakai City in 1985, conducted as the mound was being destroyed by unauthorized sand quarrying. Eight clay-lined burial pits (four in rear section, four in front section) were confirmed. Recovered: 5 bronze mirrors, beads, combs, over 200 swords and bladed weapons, over 1,500 iron arrowheads, 7 complete armor sets, and 32 hand axes — an exceptionally rich assemblage for a single Mozu group excavation. Records and finds are preserved and partly exhibited at the Sakai City Museum; the site itself is now residential with no surviving physical evidence.

Two views on the occupant

Archaeological view
Once the 5th largest in the Mozu group (168m) but destroyed by postwar sand mining. Site now residential.
Imperial Household Agency view
Not managed by IHA.

Field notes

Though the mound itself is gone, the curves of the residential streets that replaced it still trace the original outline of the keyhole mound. The gentle arcs of the roads quietly preserve the memory of the ancient tomb beneath the modern neighbourhood.

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Sources

堺市教育委員会(1985年調査報告)堺市(百舌鳥古墳群リスト)

Related kofun

Daisen Kofun (525m) Kamiishizu Misanzai Kofun (365m) Haji Nisanzai Kofun (300m) Gobyoyama Kofun (203m) Tadeiyama Kofun (148m) Itasuke Kofun (146m)
← Sadanoyama Kofun Tozuka Kofun →