Who Is Buried Inside the Daisen Kofun?

Japan has its own ancient tombs, known as kofun, that date back to the third to the seventh century AD, albeit they are not as well-known as the pyramids. They can vary greatly in size from just a few hundred feet to thousands of feet in length, and some of them have a distinctive keyhole pattern. The biggest one is in the Osaka Prefecture city of Sakai. The main mystery is, "Who is buried inside?" It is known as Daisen Kofun and is more than 1,500 feet long and 1,000 feet wide.

Although no scholar or scientist has ever verified it, the kofun has long been thought to be the ultimate burial site of Emperor Nintoku, the 16th Emperor of Japan who ruled during the 4th century. They have been unable to do so since it is literally against the law for anyone to enter the tomb.

Since the issue involves a royal ancestor, the Imperial Household Agency, the Japanese government entity responsible for managing all matters pertaining to the Imperial Family, has jurisdiction over it. All archaeological exploration has been limited to the perimeter of the moats that encircle the kofun since the 1970s.

However, there have been some developments in that area recently. Archaeologists were permitted by the agency to dig up the moats in 2018 in search of antiquity. Although it hasn't happened yet, there was talk of excavating the mound around 2020. This enigma may be solved in the years to come.