★ World Heritage Habikino / Fujiidera, Osaka Keyhole-shaped mound

Hakayama Kofun

Satellite tomb of the Mausoleum of Emperor Ojin
LocationHabikino / Fujiidera, Osaka
ShapeKeyhole-shaped mound
Mound length225 m
PeriodEarly 5th c.
DesignationNational Historic Site
World HeritageMozu-Furuichi Kofun Group (UNESCO)

Overview

A 225m-long keyhole mound, the fifth largest in the Furuichi area. Built on a central plateau with its rear circle at the eastern edge and its front section facing west, it appears especially large when viewed from the lowlands to the east and south. The rear circle rises 20.7m; the mound has three tiers and projections on both sides of the waist. A broad embankment about 32m wide encircles the moat. The Imperial Household Agency administers the mound as a satellite of the Ojin mausoleum, while part of its embankment is included in the National Historic Site Furuichi Kofun Group. It is a constituent monument of the Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group World Heritage Site, inscribed in 2019.

Finds & research

Records mention two burial facilities set north–south in the rear circle, the northern one said to contain a large chest-shaped sarcophagus, but the mound is unexcavated under IHA management. Cylindrical haniwa have been recovered along with figural pieces shaped as houses and quivers; a haniwa of a man holding a shield is among the earliest human figures of its kind. A moat rings the mound, with a broad embankment about 32m wide beyond it, and a ditch bounding that embankment has been detected on parts of the east and north sides.

Two views on the occupant

Archaeological view
This 225m keyhole mound dates to the middle phase of the Middle Kofun period (early 5th century). Records describe two burial facilities in the rear circle, one said to contain a large chest-shaped sarcophagus, but the mound interior has not been investigated. Cylindrical and figural haniwa include houses, quivers and a shield-bearing human figure counted among the earliest human-shaped haniwa.
Imperial Household Agency view
Managed by the IHA as "Satellite Tomb No. Ho" of the Ojin Mausoleum, Ega-no-Mofushi-no-Oka-no-Misasagi (Habikino City lists it as "Ojin Mausoleum Satellite Tomb No. Ho"), and also one of the mounds of the National Historic Site "Furuichi Kofun Group". It is designated a satellite of Konda Gobyoyama Kofun (the Emperor Ojin mausoleum, 425m), although its 225m length makes it a large keyhole mound. Public access is restricted as an IHA mausoleum.
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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)藤井寺市「墓山古墳」

Related kofun

Konda Gobyoyama Kofun (425m) Nakatsuyama Kofun (290m) Oka Misanzai Kofun (245m) Ichinoyama Kofun (230m) Tsudoshiroyama Kofun (210m) Karusato Otsuka Kofun (200m)
← Ichinoyama Kofun Tsudoshiroyama Kofun →