★ World HeritageHabikino / Fujiidera, OsakaKeyhole-shaped mound
Komuroyama Kofun
(Outside IHA jurisdiction)
Location
Habikino / Fujiidera, Osaka
Shape
Keyhole-shaped mound
Mound length
150 m
Period
Late 4th c.
Designation
National Historic Site
World Heritage
Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group (UNESCO)
Overview
A keyhole mound 150m long with a rear circle 15.3m high. It was built on the western edge of a north-south plateau, with its front section facing north-east. The mound has three tiers and a projection on the east side of the waist. Its moat is preserved underground; on the west side there is no evidence that it held water. It is assigned to the early Middle Kofun period. Part of 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
Rows of cylindrical haniwa survive on the terraces of the mound, and figural haniwa have also been recovered. Stone scattered on the summit points to a possible pit-style stone chamber, though this has not been confirmed. The moat around the mound is preserved underground, and on the west side there is no sign it ever held water.
Two views on the occupant
Archaeological view
Occupant unknown. Dated to the second half of the 4th century by the World Heritage site and to the early Middle Kofun period by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, making it one of the earliest mounds in the Furuichi area. It is 150m long with a rear circle 15.3m high, built in three tiers, with a projection on the east side of the waist. Stone scattered on the summit suggests — but does not prove — a pit-style stone chamber. A moat runs around the mound, though on the west side there is no sign it ever held water, and its outline has been found to narrow in step with the mound. Stone facing and rows of cylindrical haniwa have been restored so visitors can see how it once looked. It stands beside Otorizuka Kofun (110m), the two forming the early burial ground of the northern Furuichi area. As the tomb of a powerful regional chieftain, it is an important early mound representing the initial phase of the Furuichi group's development.
Imperial Household Agency view
Not managed by the IHA. Administered by Fujiidera City as a national historic site. Not listed in the IHA register. The Fujiidera City Board of Education maintains and opens the site for public visits; archaeological excavation has been conducted. One of the few mounds in the Furuichi group where the public may walk onto the mound itself. Part of the National Historic Site "Furuichi Kofun Group".