| Location | Sakai, Osaka |
|---|---|
| Shape | Keyhole-shaped mound |
| Mound length | 146 m |
| Period | Early 5th c. |
| World Heritage | Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group (UNESCO) |
146m keyhole mound. In 1953 a residential development plan threatened the mound, but a citizen campaign—led largely by university students—gathered signatures and succeeded in preserving it. This campaign is celebrated as a pioneering postwar cultural property protection movement. The moat retains water and the mound is nationally known for its colony of wild tanuki (raccoon dogs).Constituent monument of the UNESCO World Heritage "Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group" (2019). The 1953 preservation campaign, centered on the "Society to Protect Itasuke Kofun," collected about 20,000 signatures and is credited with influencing subsequent buried-cultural-property protection policy. The name "Itasuke" is variously attributed to a former landowner named Itasuke. The resident tanuki are beloved by locals as guardians of the mound and feature in Sakai City's tourism materials.
Sakai City has conducted continuous surveys since the 1953 preservation campaign. A 1979 excavation confirmed three-tier construction and stone paving arrangement. Cylindrical and morning-glory haniwa have been recovered. Interior burial facility and grave goods remain unexcavated. A colony of wild tanuki (raccoon dogs) inhabits the moat, making this nationally famous as "the kofun where tanuki live," and drawing interest from wildlife conservation perspectives as well.