Tomb of Emperor Ōjin (Ōjin Tennō-ryō Kofun) 応神天皇陵

Official explanation

This burial mound shaped like a keyhole is said to be the tomb of Emperor Ōjin. The tomb is the largest in the Furichi area and is believed to have been completed in the first half of the fifth century. According to early records, Emperor Ōjin was Japan’s fifteenth emperor; his reign is thought to have spanned the latter half the third century. Ōjin is credited with bringing new technologies like Korean weaving techniques, metalworking, ceramics, and Chinese writing to the archipelago.

The tomb of Emperor Ōjin is the second largest kofun in Japan, covering a total area of just under 29 hectares. It is approximately 36 meters high, about the height of a 12-story building. Originally the mound had three tiers, which were outlined with an estimated 20,000 terracotta figures called haniwa.

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The Imperial Household Agency manages the site and wishes to keep the burial chamber undisturbed out of respect for the imperial line. This means that no major archaeological excavations have been conducted on the kofun mound, and the identity of the occupant is unconfirmed. No one is allowed on the kofun, but there is a torii gate on the north side of tomb where people pay their respects to the emperor. A grove of fig trees and fields of cosmos flowers now cover the former outer moat along the western side, making it a pleasant place to stroll.

出典: 地域観光資源の多言語解説文データベース（観光庁） — www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db. この英語解説文は観光庁の地域観光資源の多言語解説整備支援事業で作成しました。
Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Multilingual Explanation Database. This English text was produced by the Japan Tourism Agency's multilingual explanation project and is shown unedited. Opening hours and services may have changed since it was written.