Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group: Mounded Tombs of Ancient Japan

The Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group comprises a wide ensemble of ancient burial mounds in Osaka Prefecture, Japan, created during the Kofun period for elite burials and ritual expression. The mounds include large keyhole-shaped tumuli and many smaller mounds set in clustered groupings.

The most prominent of these is a very large keyhole-shaped tumulus surrounded by moats and earthworks that dominates the local landscape, while numerous other kofun of varying shapes and sizes form distinct clusters in the Mozu and Furuichi areas. The group demonstrates burial architecture and social hierarchies of early Japan.

These kofun were constructed between the 3rd and 7th centuries AD as monumental tombs for political elites, with earthenworks and grave goods indicating links of status and power. Over time the mounds have been variously preserved within urban and peri-urban settings and have been the subject of archaeological study and heritage protection.

The kofun complex lies in southern Osaka Prefecture near the cities of Sakai and Habikino, forming an archaeological landscape embedded within modern municipalities.

• Chronology: The tumuli date to the Kofun period (approximately 3rd to 7th centuries AD) and represent elite burial practices with large earthen mounds and surrounding moats.
• Scale: The largest mounds are among the biggest prehistoric earthworks in the world and are visible in the modern landscape around southern Osaka Prefecture.

What to See #

• Daisen Kofun (largest tumulus): The largest keyhole-shaped mound in the group, traditionally associated with the Emperor Nintoku and notable for its size and surrounding moats and earthenworks.
• Mozu and Furuichi kofun groups: The collection of mounded tombs in the Mozu and Furuichi areas that together form a dense landscape of kofun with keyhole, round and scallop-shaped forms dating to the Kofun period.