Mozu-Furuichi Tombs

The Furuichi Kofun Group is a cluster of ancient burial mounds located in Habikino City and Fujiidera City, Osaka Prefecture, built between the 4th and 5th centuries. In July 2019, it was inscribed as Osaka’s first World Heritage Site at the UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting held in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. Twenty of its tumuli are designated as National Historic Sites. The group reflects shared values of kofun construction in the Kofun period and sheds light on the political and social realities of the time. Located on the Osaka Plain—one of the centers of ancient Japan’s political culture—it includes many keyhole-shaped tumuli that are extremely rare worldwide. In addition to keyhole-shaped mounds, it features four types: keyhole-shaped, scallop-shell-shaped, round, and square tumuli, which became models for kofun found across Japan. As tombs that symbolized authority, the site is important for understanding the lifestyles of ancient people. Nearby in northern Sakai City, the Mozu Kofun Group is another representative kofun cluster in Japan; together with the Furuichi group, it was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Mozu group includes the Nintoku-tenno-ryo Kofun, Japan’s largest keyhole-shaped tumulus.