★ World HeritageSakai, OsakaKeyhole-shaped moundIHA imperial tomb
Tadeiyama Kofun
Mausoleum of Emperor Hanzei
Location
Sakai, Osaka
Shape
Keyhole-shaped mound
Mound length
148 m
Period
Early 5th c.
Designation
Imperial Tomb (IHA)
World Heritage
Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group (UNESCO)
IHA designation
IHA-managed (no public entry)
Overview
One of the three great mausolea of Mozunomimihara (the Northern one). A 148m keyhole mound, 14.8m high at the front section, at the northern end of the Mozu area. Built in three tiers on the western edge of the plateau with its axis parallel to the contours and its front section facing south — a siting said to have been chosen with the view from Osaka Bay strongly in mind. A projection sits on the west side of the waist only. One moat is visible today; a second, outer moat once encircled it and survives underground. Located approximately 1.1km north of Daisen Kofun, it marks the northern boundary of the Mozu plateau. Constituent monument of the "Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group" UNESCO WHS (2019).
Finds & research
The burial facility is unexcavated under IHA management. The outer moat, preserved underground, has yielded cylindrical and figural haniwa and Sue ware. Only the exterior can be viewed, from the surrounding paths.
Two views on the occupant
Archaeological view
Actual occupant unknown. Sakai City dates it to the first half of the 5th century, the Agency for Cultural Affairs to the middle of the Middle Kofun period. 148m long, 14.8m high at the front section, built in three tiers. The date broadly overlaps the reign the chronicles assign to Emperor Hanzei (said to be the first half of the 5th century), but nothing archaeological identifies the occupant. Positioned at the northern edge of the Mozu group, this mound defines the northern boundary of the Mozu plateau and is considered one of the last large mausolea constructed in the Daisen cluster.
Imperial Household Agency view
Officially designated "Mozunomimihara-no-Kita-no-Misasagi" (Northern Mausoleum of Mozunomimihara) by the IHA, attributed to Emperor Hanzei. The three major mausolea of Mozunomimihara are: Central (Daisen Kofun), Southern (Kamiishizu Misanzai), and this Northern mound. Access is restricted as an imperial mausoleum; the mound can be observed from the embankment road around its perimeter.[IHA Visiting Info] Address: 2-chome Kita-Mikunigaoka-cho, Sakai-ku, Sakai, Osaka / Access: about 6 min walk from Nankai Sakai-Higashi Station / Hours: 8:30–17:00 in principle (open year-round). Stamp: Furuichi Imperial Mausolea Office.
Field notes
About a six-minute walk from Nankai Sakaihigashi Station, or about 10 minutes from JR Hanwa Line Mozu Station. A path along the moat allows a near-complete circuit of the mound.