Mozu-Furuichi World Heritage Kofun
Complete Guide to the 49 Tombs

Daisen Kofun

Mausoleum of Emperor Nintoku

Keyhole-shaped mound | 486m | Early–mid 5th century | Osaka

At 486m by the 2018 re-survey (486m by the traditional IHA/Sakai figure), Japan's longest burial mound. The 3-tiered keyhole mound rises to 35.8m at the rear circle (249m across) and 33.9m at the front section (307m wide); the 2018 survey revised these to 39.8m / 286m and 37.9m / 347m. It is the only giant keyhole mound ringed by triple moats, and the total area including water reaches about 47 hectares — roughly 12 Koshien Stadiums. Stone-paved slopes (fukiishi) once covered the mound, lined with rows of cylindrical haniwa. By volume it may surpass even the Great Pyramid of Giza. Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2019 (Japan's 23rd WHS). Note: "Nintoku Tenno-ryo" is the IHA's official name; archaeologists use "Daisen Kofun" or "Oyama Kofun." Some rank this alongside the Great Pyramid and the First Emperor's Mausoleum as one of the world's three greatest tombs.

Visiting: A moat-side promenade circles the outer moat in about 2.8km (40 min walk). The Sakai City Museum in adjacent Daisen Park displays haniwa and related finds. A free observation deck on the 21st floor of Sakai City Hall offers a bird's-eye view of the entire mound.

Konda Gobyoyama Kofun

Mausoleum of Emperor Ojin

Keyhole-shaped mound | 425m | First half of the 5th century | Osaka

A 425m-long keyhole mound, the second longest in Japan and reportedly the largest by mound volume. Its three-tiered mound faces north and the rear circle rises 36m. Projections stand on both sides of the waist, and a square earthen platform occupies the summit of the front section. Two moats and an outer embankment surround it. The sharp bend in the inner moat on the east is interpreted as avoiding the earlier Futatsuzuka Kofun, while the collapse on the north-west side of the front section is widely attributed to an earthquake. The Imperial Household Agency administers it as the mausoleum of Emperor Ojin. It is a constituent monument of the Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group World Heritage Site.

Visiting: A green corridor links the mound to the adjacent Konda Hachimangu shrine. The Furuichi group is easily accessed by the Kintetsu Minami-Osaka Line, making it a convenient base for kofun tourism.

Kamiishizu Misanzai Kofun

Mausoleum of Emperor Richu

Keyhole-shaped mound | 365m | Early 5th century | Osaka

365m long (3rd largest in Japan, 2nd in the Mozu group). The 3-tiered mound rises to about 27.6m at the rear circle; a second, outer moat (confirmed in 1994 and now preserved underground) once encircled it. Together with Daisen Kofun it anchors the Mozu group. Like Daisen it faces south, sited on the western edge of the plateau with the view from Osaka Bay in mind. Projections (tsukuridashi) flank both sides of the waist, and circular platforms on both summits are thought to cover the burials. The moat-side path runs through residential areas and offers impressive views of the reed-lined waterways.Designated a constituent monument of the "Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group" UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019. The name "Kamiishizu Misanzai" combines the place name Kamiishizu with "Misanzai," a local phonetic variant of misasagi (imperial tomb). Located about 800m southwest of Daisen Kofun, the two super-scale keyhole mounds aligned on the Mozu plateau evoke the grandeur of the ancient landscape.

Haze Nisanzai Kofun

Nisanzai Kofun (IHA: Higashimozuryobo sankochi)

Keyhole-shaped mound | 300m | Late 5th century | Osaka

300m long (7th nationally, 3rd in Mozu group). 3-tiered, with the front section rising to 25.9m — wider and taller than the rear circle, a late trait in keyhole-mound design. As a reference site (sankochi) rather than a confirmed mausoleum, it has permitted more academic investigation than the main designated tombs. Joint surveys by Sakai City and the IHA (2004, 2010) revealed detailed mound structure. It stands at the south-eastern edge of the Mozu group, in Mozunishinocho, Kita-ku, Sakai.Constituent monument of the "Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group" UNESCO World Heritage Site (2019). The "reference site" (sankochi) designation differs from a confirmed mausoleum (ryo) in that the IHA has determined there is a possibility of imperial connection without certainty. This allows slightly more academic access, making Haze Nisanzai an important case study for understanding Mozu group mound construction methods.

Itasuke Kofun

Keyhole-shaped mound | 146m | Early 5th c. | Osaka

146m keyhole-shaped mound. In August 1955 the mound, then in private hands, was sold to a developer, and the following month a bridge for residential construction was built across its moat. Archaeologists including Koichi Mori (then a teacher at Izumiotsu High School) and Susumu Miyagawa (then a student at Osaka Dental University) called for its protection, forming the "Society to Protect Itasuke Kofun of Sakai," which ran a signature campaign and a purchase fund. They argued it was the only mound in the Mozu group other than imperial mausolea to survive complete with its moat; Sakai City bought the mound and the bridge (later shared with the national government), the site was provisionally designated a historic site that November, and became a National Historic Site in May 1956. Regarded as an origin of postwar citizen movements for cultural property protection, the remains of the bridge in the moat are a relic of that episode. A visored-helmet (shokaku-tsuki kabuto) shaped haniwa excavated from the round rear mound is the symbol mark of Sakai City's cultural property protection. The mound is also nationally known for its colony of wild tanuki (raccoon dogs). Constituent monument of the UNESCO World Heritage "Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group" (2019).

Tsudoshiroyama Kofun

Keyhole-shaped mound | 210m | Late 4th c. | Osaka

A keyhole mound at the northern end of the Furuichi area, 210m long (208m in some sources) with a rear circle 16.9m high. Its three-tiered mound faces south-east and has projections on both sides of the waist. Two broad moats and an embankment surround it. Medieval reuse as a castle altered the mound, but its original scale and form can be reconstructed. Part of the rear-circle summit is administered by the Imperial Household Agency as the Fujiidera potential mausoleum site; the remainder is open as part of the National Historic Site Furuichi Kofun Group. It is a constituent monument of the Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group World Heritage Site.

Visiting: Apart from the part of the rear-circle summit designated an imperial reference site, this is one of the very few large mounds visitors may walk on freely. A guidance building, Mahora Shiroyama, stands on the north side of the inner moat, displaying screen-shaped and cylindrical haniwa and a reconstructed sarcophagus. About a 17-minute walk north of Kintetsu Fujiidera Station.

Komuroyama Kofun

Keyhole-shaped mound | 150m | Late 4th century | Osaka

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.

Gobyoyama Kofun

Keyhole-shaped mound | 203m | Early 5th c. | Osaka

A large keyhole mound (203m, 4th largest in the Mozu group) within Daisen Park, Sakai City. The three-tiered mound, 18.3m high at the rear circle, faces west and has a single projection on the south side of its waist. One moat is visible today, but a second, outer moat once encircled it and is preserved underground. Access to the mound itself is restricted as an IHA reference site. Located just 500m southeast of Daisen Kofun, the two giant mounds together form the dominant landscape of the Mozu plateau. One of the 49 constituent monuments of the "Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group" UNESCO WHS (2019). The name "Gobyoyama" derives from gobyo (sacred mausoleum), indicating early recognition of its funerary importance. The IHA's reference-site designation associating it with Emperor Ojin draws a parallel with Konda Gobyoyama Kofun (425m) in the Furuichi group.

Visiting: About a four-minute walk southeast of JR Mozu Station. The front and rear sections can be observed from the moat-side path; convenient to combine with nearby Daisen Kofun and the Sakai City Museum.