Can visitors enter the Nanakoshiyama Kofun burial chamber?

No, the burial chamber and the mound itself are not accessible to the public. Visitors can only walk around the perimeter path that circles the kofun. The tomb is preserved as an archaeological site and covered in vegetation, appearing as a forested hill. Observation points along the walking path provide views of the mound's distinctive keyhole shape.

Is Nanakoshiyama Kofun the same as Emperor Nintoku's tomb?

No, these are different burial mounds. Nanakoshiyama Kofun is a 230-meter-long tomb in Fujiidera City with an unidentified occupant. Emperor Nintoku's tomb (Daisen Kofun) is located in Sakai City and is Japan's largest keyhole-shaped tomb at 486 meters. Both are part of the Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group UNESCO World Heritage Site but are separate monuments.

What is the best way to visit multiple kofun in the area?

The most efficient approach is to use the Kintetsu Minami-Osaka Line, which connects several stations near different kofun sites. From Fujiidera Station, you can walk to Nanakoshiyama Kofun in 15 minutes, then take the train to nearby stations like Domyoji or Hajinosato to visit other burial mounds in the Furuichi cluster. Consider purchasing a local area day pass for convenient train travel between sites.

Why can't I find much tourist infrastructure at the site?

Unlike some tourist attractions, Nanakoshiyama Kofun is primarily preserved as an archaeological and cultural heritage site rather than a developed tourist destination. The focus is on conservation rather than commercialization. Basic informational panels are provided, but there are no visitor centers, gift shops, or guided tour services specifically for this individual kofun.

What exactly are haniwa, and can I see them at Nanakoshiyama Kofun?

Haniwa are terracotta clay figures that were placed on and around kofun during the 3rd to 6th centuries. They depicted warriors, animals, houses, and various objects, likely serving ritual purposes. While Nanakoshiyama Kofun originally featured haniwa, they are no longer visible at the site. To see actual haniwa from the Mozu-Furuichi area, visit the Osaka Prefectural Chikatsu Asuka Museum or the Fujiidera City Historical Museum.

Nanakoshiyama Kofun

4.1 (155)Historical LandmarkHistorical PlaceTourist AttractionPoint Of InterestEstablishment

The Nanakoshiyama Kofun is a 5th-century keyhole-shaped burial mound located in Fujiidera City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. As part of the Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group, it was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019. The tomb measures approximately 230 meters in length, making it one of the larger kofun in the region. Archaeological evidence suggests it was constructed for a member of the ancient Yamato court, though the specific occupant remains unidentified.

The kofun represents the pinnacle of ancient Japanese burial architecture during the Kofun Period (250-538 CE), when powerful rulers demonstrated their authority through monumental tomb construction. Its distinctive keyhole shape, consisting of a round rear portion and trapezoidal front section, exemplifies the sophisticated engineering capabilities of ancient Japan. The tomb originally featured haniwa clay figures arranged along its slopes and was surrounded by a moat, though these features have been partially lost over time.

Visitors can walk around the perimeter of the tomb mound, which is now covered in dense vegetation and appears as a forested hill in the urban landscape. The site offers observation points along the walking path where the scale and shape of the kofun can be appreciated. While the burial chamber itself is not accessible to the public, the Fujiidera City Board of Education has installed informational panels in Japanese and English explaining the historical context and archaeological findings.

The site is accessible via a 15-minute walk from Fujiidera Station on the Kintetsu Minami-Osaka Line. From central Osaka, the journey takes approximately 30 minutes by train. Admission to the surrounding area is free, and the site can be visited year-round. The kofun is best viewed as part of a broader tour of the Mozu-Furuichi area, with several other significant burial mounds located within walking or short train distances.

What other travelers are saying about Nanakoshiyama Kofun

Shichikoyama Kofun This ancient tomb is believed to date back to the 6th century. It's planted with cherry trees, making it a scenic spot. There was an entrance leading up the mountain. 🚪 What surprised me was the numerous stone statues just after the summit, all of which had their heads removed. It's unclear when they were destroyed or whether they were for religious purposes, but they were in a strange state. The stone statues at the summit showed signs of repair. It takes about 30 minutes to walk around the entire tomb. The stone chamber appears to have not been discovered. Fujioka City Shichikoyama Kofun is a three-tiered keyhole-shaped tomb built in the first half of the 6th century. It is one of the largest 6th-century tombs in eastern Japan, measuring 150 meters in length, 115 meters wide at the front, 85 meters in diameter at the rear, and 16 meters high at both the front and rear. The excavated artifacts include cylindrical haniwa, morning glory-shaped haniwa, figurative haniwa of people and horses, as well as Sue ware and Haji ware. The cylindrical haniwa in particular is a rare large item, measuring 40 centimeters in diameter and 110 centimeters in height, with seven protruding bands around it.

2018 Yajikita5

Dec 21, 2025

Sorry for the sudden question, but do you think that all keyhole-shaped tumuli are the same shape, even though they may vary in size? That's not true. In fact, just like fashion, shapes go through trends and outdated styles (lol). Shichikoshiyama Kofun, which appeared at the end of the Kofun period in the first half of the 6th century, had an avant-garde shape that was the first of its kind in this region, and it showed off to the surrounding powerful clans that it was a "fashionable keyhole-shaped tumulus" (lol) imported directly from the central government. What exactly is different? It's actually the balance between the front and rear circular sections that's completely different. Right nearby is Shiraishi Inariyama Kofun, a keyhole-shaped tumulus built a century earlier and roughly the same size at about 150m, so let's take a look at the difference in proportions. First of all, Shichikoshiyama Kofun has a small face, deep carvings, and a sleek style. (lol) Specifically, the circular section is smaller than the square section, and the mound is higher. Numerically, the circular section is 87m wide and the square section is 106m wide, making the square section wider, and at 16m high, it's the same height as the circular section. On the other hand, the Shiraishi Inariyama Tomb, the model from 100 years ago, has a larger face with a circular section 92m wide and a square section 86m wide, and a shorter nose with a circular section 13.5m high and a square section 8.5m high. The newer the keyhole-shaped tomb, the larger the square section tends to be, and Shichikoshiyama Tomb is the ultimate example of this. To eyes accustomed to the keyhole-shaped tombs that came before, it must have seemed strange. The source of this trend is the Haji Nisanzai Tomb, believed to be the tomb of the Great King, located in the Mozu Tomb Group in Osaka. It is a huge tomb with a mound length of over 300m, but what's interesting is that Shichikoshiyama Tomb is not just "similar," but is an exact replica. This isn't just a case of imitating something you see and thinking, "It seems like this kind of shape is popular in the city..." The deceased of Shichikoshiyama Kofun holds a thick pipe in the center, suggesting that blueprints were provided and engineers were dispatched. The scale is half to match the national power, but I imagine the deceased was proud of the state-of-the-art style and boasted to those around them (lol). It's only about a 10-minute walk, so be sure to visit both the Shiraishi Inariyama Kofun and the Shiraishi Inariyama Kofun to enjoy the difference in their shapes.

According to a pamphlet from the Fujioka Historical Museum, Shichikoshiyama Kofun is a keyhole-shaped tumulus built in the first half of the 6th century, making it one of the largest tumuli from that period in eastern Japan. Furthermore, a ground-penetrating radar survey conducted in 2018 revealed that the tumulus is approximately 150 meters long and that the rear circular mound contains a horizontal stone chamber measuring nearly 20 meters in length, making it one of the largest horizontal stone chambers in eastern Japan. Furthermore, the cylindrical haniwa (clank haniwa) unearthed during previous excavations are extremely large, measuring over 40 cm in diameter and over 1 meter in height. Such large cylindrical haniwa with multiple protruding bands are said to be rare and found only in a limited number of kofun in Gunma Prefecture. This was my second visit to see a real keyhole-shaped tumulus, following the Shiraishi Inariyama Kofun we saw earlier. This one is obscured by trees, so its keyhole shape is difficult to appreciate unless viewed from above. Shiraishi Inariyama Kofun appears to have been built on a hill, but this one is built on flat ground, making it feel even larger. It's mind-boggling to think that it was built by human labor. It couldn't have been done unless the country was rich and many people lived there. I wonder if they were paid wages. I wonder what kind of lives the people led at that time. This one was also overgrown with weeds, but we were able to follow the footsteps of people and reach the top of the kofun. However, it is obscured by trees, so although it is quite high up, the view isn't great, and even from here it's hard to tell that it's shaped like a keyhole.

I visited Shichikoshiyama Kofun, featured on the TV program "Kofun no Jidai," because the cherry blossoms were so beautiful. 🌸 This kofun is the largest and tallest I've ever visited. ★I've only ever seen Tenjinyama Kofun, the largest in eastern Japan, from the road in my hometown of Ota City, so I'd like to visit it by mountain bike someday. There were more cherry blossom-viewing visitors than I expected, and the cherry blossoms were near full bloom, so I was lucky to visit!♪ [Reference] Gunma Prefecture is home to many gigantic keyhole-shaped tombs, some even surpassing those in the Kinai region. Shichikoshiyama Kofun in Fujioka City, Gunma Prefecture, is said to be the burial site of Kamitsukeno no Okuma, a powerful local clan leader from the early 6th century.

There's a parking lot at the Shichikoshi Gate, and although it's close, I thought it was the temple's parking lot, so I parked at the Fujioka History Museum and walked there. ^^; The tumulus isn't designed so that you can walk around it in one go, so you end up returning the same way. There are a row of headless Jizo statues (?) near the entrance, and a headless Kannon statue (?) at the top of the mountain. It might be a little scary to go alone. I'd like to go during cherry blossom season.