Chausuyama in Osaka’s Tennoji Ward is an Osaka Prefectural Historic Site. It was once interpreted as a keyhole-shaped kofun about 200m long, but Osaka Prefecture and Osaka City questioned that interpretation after the 1986 excavation. Its tomb form, size and date remain unconfirmed. Tokugawa Ieyasu used the hill as his headquarters in the Winter Campaign of the Siege of Osaka, and Sanada Nobushige deployed here in the Summer Campaign.
Finds & research
No artifacts securely associated with a kofun have been confirmed. One theory identifies the adjacent Kawazoko Pond not as a moat but as a remnant of a canal dug in 788.
Two views on the occupant
Archaeological view
Traditionally interpreted as a keyhole-shaped mound about 200m long. Following the 1986 excavation, Osaka Prefecture says that interpretation came into question, and Osaka City also doubts its identification as a kofun. Another theory regards Kawazoko Pond as the remnant of a canal dug in 788 and the hill as its spoil. Its tomb form, size and date are unconfirmed.
Imperial Household Agency view
This is not an Imperial Household Agency mausoleum. Its identification as an ancient burial mound is itself unconfirmed.
Field notes
The hill lies in Tennoji Park and can be viewed on site.