★ World Heritage Sakai, Osaka Scallop-shaped mound

Zenizuka Kofun

(Not designated by the IHA)
LocationSakai, Osaka
ShapeScallop-shaped mound
Mound length72 m
PeriodLate 5th c.
DesignationNational Historic Site
World HeritageMozu-Furuichi Kofun Group (UNESCO)

Overview

A scallop-shaped mound 72m long, its rear circle now 2.3m high, standing about 100m south-east of Hatazuka Kofun between Daisen and Kamiishizu Misanzai, with its front section facing west. Built in the late 5th century, it carries no Imperial Household Agency designation and is managed by Sakai City as part of the National Historic Site Mozu Kofun Group. Excavation found no trace of a moat, suggesting it may never have had a boundary feature. The mound stands on school grounds and cannot be visited. It is a constituent monument of the Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group World Heritage Site, inscribed in 2019.

Finds & research

A terrace and a row of cylindrical haniwa were detected on the north side of the rear circle. Excavation found no trace of a moat, raising the possibility that the mound never had one. The burial facility and grave goods are uninvestigated.

Two views on the occupant

Archaeological view
A scallop-shaped mound 72m long, its rear circle standing 2.3m high today, about 100m south-east of Hatazuka Kofun with its front section facing west. Dated to the late Middle Kofun period (second half of the 5th century). The upper rear circle and the front section have been altered, but the outline of the front section is preserved underground. A terrace and a row of cylindrical haniwa found on the north of the rear circle suggest two tiers. Excavation found no trace of a moat, so the mound may never have had a boundary feature.
Imperial Household Agency view
Not designated by the IHA. Managed by the Sakai City Board of Education. Not an IHA-designated site. Protected by Sakai City as part of the National Historic Site "Mozu Kofun Group".

Field notes

The mound stands on school grounds and is not open to visitors (World Heritage site; Sakai City).

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Sources

百舌鳥・古市古墳群 公式サイト文化庁 文化遺産オンライン(世界遺産構成資産解説)

Related kofun

Daisen Kofun (486m) Kamiishizu Misanzai Kofun (365m) Haze Nisanzai Kofun (300m) Gobyoyama Kofun (203m) Tadeiyama Kofun (148m) Itasuke Kofun (146m)
← Hatazuka Kofun Terayama Minamiyama Kofun →