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Mozu Tombs 百舌鳥古墳群
Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, Japan
The Mozu Tombs Cluster Area Created based on aerial photographs from the Japan Geospatial Information Authority of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's map and aerial photo browsing service.
Mozu Tombs 百舌鳥古墳群
Coordinates	34°33′50″N 135°29′13″E / 34.564°N 135.487°E / 34.564; 135.487
Site information
Owner	Imperial Household Agency
Condition	Intact
Site history
Built	3rd to 6th century
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Criteria	Cultural: iii, iv
Reference	1593
Inscription	2019 (43rd Session)
Area	166.6 ha
Buffer zone	890 ha
National Historic Site of Japan

The Mozu Tombs (百舌鳥古墳群, Mozu kofungun) are a group of kofun (Japanese: 古墳)—megalithic tombs—in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. Originally consisting of more than 100 tombs, only less than 50% of the key-hole, round, and rectangular tombs remain.

The Daisenryo Kofun (大仙陵古墳, Daisenryō kofun), the largest kofun in Japan, is believed to have been constructed over a period of 20 years in the mid 5th century during the Kofun Period. While it cannot be accurately confirmed, it is commonly accepted that the tomb was built for the late Emperor Nintoku. The Imperial Household Agency of Japan treats it as such.

Location

The Mozu Kofun Cluster is located in the city of Sakai which is within Osaka Prefecture. The tumuli are built on a plateau overlooking Osaka Bay near the ancient coastline and are distributed in a range of about four kilometers from east-to-west and north-to-south.The Furuichi Kofun Cluster is located in nearby Habikino and Fujiidera cities.

History

In the Japanese archipelago, more than 20,000 tumuli (kofun), which are mounds of earth and stones erected over graves of the ruling class, were built between the later part of the 3rd century and the 6th century. It was the peak period of building such mounds. They represent a cultural tradition which is an expression of "forms, and design of the kofun" of the sociopolitical hierarchical order and the link that was prevalent during that period between regions. This period is termed as the Kofun Period. The most prominent imperial mausolea in this cluster of tumuli are those of Emperor Nintoku and Emperor Richū.

There are 44 burial mounds in the Mozu cluster, including those that are partially destroyed. Of these, 19 have been designated as national historic sites, and separately, the Imperial Household Agency has ruled three to be Imperial mausoleums, two to be "Tomb Reference Sites", and 18 to be "baichō", or ancillary mausoleums connected with an Imperial mausoleum. There used to be more than 100 burial mounds, but due to the rapid development of residential land after World War II, more than half of the burial mounds were destroyed.

In 2010, the Japanese government proposed that the Daisen Kofun and the entire cluster of Mozu Tombs and Furuichi Tombs be designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 9 years later on 6 July 2019, the site was approved and inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site under Criteria: (iii) and (iv) as the Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group: Mounded Tombs of Ancient Japan.

Features

The kofun are found in many shapes and dimensions in varying patterns. Some are of simple circular or square shape (empun and hōfun). The larger ones are keyhole-shaped (zempō kōenfun); they represent the highest class of kofun and were built in great detail. The three prominent aspects of these kofun are their massive size and being surrounded by several moats and many secondary kofun.

In the Osaka Plain and Nara Basin, which were the cultural centre of the Kofun Period, the rounded keyhole-shaped tombs were built extending to very large lengths, out of which the Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Clusters are the most prominent. These are in two kofun groups which are dated to the later part of 4th and early part of 6th centuries. These kofun are of the largest dimensions in the country. The Nintoku-tennō-ryō Kofun, is one grave mound which is a 486 metres (1,594 ft) long tumulus enclosed by a moat and a fortification which is 840 metres (2,760 ft) in length; this is said to be the largest such mound in the world. This cluster also has the Richū-tennō-ryō Kofun, made of a tumulus of 360 metres (1,180 ft) length and said to be the third largest in the country.

Another group of mounds, located about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) away from the Mozu cluster is known as the Furuichi cluster. It has the Ōjin-tennō-ryō Kofun of 425 metres (1,394 ft) length which is said to be the second largest in the country. This group also has 11 more huge massive rounded "keyhole-shaped kofun" with mound length of 200 metres (660 ft) or more.

A feature of these funerary mounds is that they contain – along with the buried people – grave goods made of iron, weapons worn by individuals including arrowheads, swords, hoe and spade tips, and many other similar items. Also found in the mounds are antiquities made of gilded bronze such as horse tacks and sash buckles.

The Daisen Kofun mound is approximately 500 metres (1,600 ft) long and 300 metres (980 ft) across at its widest point, while the entire tomb area is 840 metres (2,760 ft) long. Enclosed by three moats, the mound rises approximately 35m above the surrounding terrain. The highest point is 47 metres (154 ft), making it visible to the seafarers in nearby Osaka Bay. The inner moat is the widest of the moats at approximately 60 metres (200 ft). The mound is approximately 100,000 square metres (1,100,000 sq ft) in area, and the entire tomb is 460,000 square metres (5,000,000 sq ft).

Today, the tomb is off-limits and protected by the Imperial Household Agency in the centre of Sakai City. The moats have been maintained and provide a sanctuary for fish and waterbirds. The mound itself is completely overgrown by vegetation. A viewing platform from the second (middle) moat is accessible at the south side of the site. The viewing platform is 500m away from Mozu Station on the Hanwa Line and is directly across the street from the Sakai City Museum. This museum provides visitors with information about the kofun and its history.

Gallery

• Daisenryo Kofun, 2.8 km in circumference and the largest kofun in Japan, is thought to be the Tomb of Emperor Nintoku.
• Kamiishizu Misanzai Kofun
• Haze Nisanzai Kofun
• Mozu Gobyo-yama Kofun
• Tadeiyama Kofun
• Itasuke Kofun

See also

• Buried Cultural Properties
• List of Historic Sites of Japan (Osaka)
• List of National Treasures of Japan (archaeological materials)
• World Heritage Sites in Japan

References

1. "Enjoying Sakai – Kofun Tombs (Tumuli)". Sakai City. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
2. "Kofun Database". Sakai City. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
3. "Graves | Japanology Plus – TV – NHK World – English". www3.nhk.or.jp. Archived from the original on 2018-06-26.
4. "堺市・仁徳陵古墳". kiis.or.jp. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
5. ^ "Characteristics of Mozu-Furuichi Kofungun". World Cultural Heritage for Osaka. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
6. ^ "Mozu-Furuichi Kofungun, Ancient Tumulus Clusters". UNESCO. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
7. Fawcett 1990, p. 111.
8. ^ 古墳データベース – 堺市ウェブサイト（2017年6月11日閲覧）
9. "百舌鳥古墳群" [Mozu kofungun] (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
10. Isomura, Yukio; Sakai, Hideya (2012). (国指定史跡事典) National Historic Site Encyclopedia. 学生社. ISBN 978-4311750403.(in Japanese)
11. Of the burial mounds, the Itasuke burial mound was designated as a national historic site in 1956, and 19 units have been designated by 2019, including those that were additionally designated after that (Notice of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology on October 15, 2018). No. 193, February 26, 2019, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Notification No. 25).
12. Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Mozu-Furuichi Kofungun, Ancient Tumulus Clusters – UNESCO World Heritage Centre". unesco.org. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
13. "Seven cultural sites inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List". UNESCO. 6 July 2019.
14. city, Sakai. "仁徳天皇陵古墳（大山古墳） 堺市". sakai.lg.jp. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
15. "Mozu Daisenryo Kofun – Japan Airlines". jal.japantravel.com. Retrieved 2022-03-20.
16. city, Sakai. "堺市博物館 堺市". sakai.lg.jp. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
17. Mozu / Furuichi Kofungun List (Mozu)（Mozu-Furuichi Kofungun World Cultural Heritage Registration Promotion Headquarters Meeting）

Bibliography

• Fawcett, Clare P. (1990). A study of the socio-political context of Japanese archaeology. McGill University, Montréal.

External links

• (in English) Entry on UNESCO World Heritage tentative list
• (in Japanese) Mozu Kofun database
• (in Japanese) Decorated Kofun Database

v t e Kofun
Elements	Decorated kofun Fukiishi
Types	circular-type kofun Joenkahofun zenpō-kōhō-fun [ja] (前方後方墳) zenpō-kōen-fun (前方後円墳) scallop-type kofun Octagonal kofun corridor-type kofun [ja] (横穴式石室, yokoana-shiki sekishitsu)
Groups	Saitobaru Kofun Cluster Inaridai Kofun Group Makimuku ruins Mozu Tombs Furuichi Kofun Cluster
Individual	Kengoshizuka Kofun Otozuka Kofun [ja] Nakatsuyama Kofun [ja] Danpusan Kofun Aotsuka Kofun

v t e World Heritage Sites in Japan
Hokkaido	Shiretoko Jōmon Prehistoric Sites
Tōhoku	Hiraizumi – Temples, Gardens and Archaeological Sites Representing the Buddhist Pure Land Shirakami-Sanchi Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining Jōmon Prehistoric Sites
Kantō	The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier Shrines and Temples of Nikkō Ogasawara Islands Tomioka Silk Mill
Chūbu	Historic Villages of Shirakawa-gō and Gokayama Fujisan, sacred place and source of artistic inspiration Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining
Kansai	Buddhist Monuments in the Hōryū-ji Area Himeji Castle Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range
Chūgoku	Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome) Itsukushima Shinto Shrine Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and its Cultural Landscape Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining
Kyushu	Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu Sacred Island of Okinoshima and Associated Sites in the Munakata Region Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining Yakushima Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region Amami-Ōshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, northern part of Okinawa Island, and Iriomote Island

• Buildings and structures in Osaka Prefecture
• Tourist attractions in Osaka Prefecture
• History of Osaka Prefecture
• World Heritage Sites in Japan
• Historic Sites of Japan
• Sakai, Osaka
• Japanese imperial tombs
• Kofun clusters