★ World Heritage Sakai, Osaka Scallop-shaped mound

Tatsusayama Kofun

Satellite Tomb No. Ro of the Mausoleum of Emperor Nintoku
LocationSakai, Osaka
ShapeScallop-shaped mound
Mound length61 m
PeriodLate 5th c.
DesignationMunicipal Historic Site
World HeritageMozu-Furuichi Kofun Group (UNESCO)

Overview

The second satellite tomb (No. Ro) of Daisen Kofun. A scallop-shaped mound, 61m long. Sakai City dates it to the late 5th century or its very end. It lies south of Daisen's front section with its axis parallel to Daisen's outer moat and its front section facing west; the rear circle is 8m high and built in two tiers. A projection may have stood on the north side of the waist, and an earthen causeway is reported at the north-west corner of the front section. The moat was reconstructed from confirmation surveys made when Daisen Park was laid out, and is a Sakai City Historic Site (designated 2016).Constituent monument of the "Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group" UNESCO WHS (2019). The Daisen satellite system (tombs i, ro, ha, ni, ho, he, to, chi, ri, etc.) forms an ensemble of mounds surrounding the main royal tomb, creating a unified "mausoleum landscape."

Finds & research

The internal burial facility remains unexcavated under IHA management. However, a confirmation survey by Sakai City in 1984 (Showa 59) identified the outer edge of the moat on the round-rear side, the mound edge at the front and the northern constriction, and a possible projection (tsukuridashi) on the north side, with haniwa recovered from the moat (indicating construction later than the Daisen/Nintoku mausoleum). Interior grave goods remain unknown. Exterior viewable from public paths.

Two views on the occupant

Archaeological view
Satellite tomb No. Ro of Daisen Kofun. A scallop-shaped mound, 61m long. The mound is 61m long, with a rear circle 43m across and 8m high and a front section 26m wide and 2m high. Sakai City dates it to the late 5th century or its end, the Agency for Cultural Affairs to the late Middle Kofun period. Haniwa from the moat show it postdates Daisen Kofun.
Imperial Household Agency view
Managed by the IHA as "Satellite Tomb No. Ro, detached parcel" (second satellite) of the Nintoku Mausoleum. The second in the iroha-syllabary catalog of Daisen satellite tombs, numbered after Magodayuyama Kofun (No. I). Managed as an appendage of the imperial mausoleum; public access restricted.
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Sources

百舌鳥・古市古墳群 公式サイト堺市「竜佐山古墳周濠」文化庁 文化遺産オンライン(世界遺産構成資産解説)

Related kofun

Daisen Kofun (486m) Kamiishizu Misanzai Kofun (365m) Haze Nisanzai Kofun (300m) Gobyoyama Kofun (203m) Tadeiyama Kofun (148m) Itasuke Kofun (146m)
← Magodayuyama Kofun Maruhoyama Kofun →