Nintoku-ryo Tumulus: World-class in size

Nintoku-ryo Tumulus is also known as Mozunomimihara-no-naka-no-misasagi, and local residents affectionately call it "Nintoku-san" and "Goryo-san." At 486 meters long, Nintoku-ryo ranks as the world's largest keyhole-shaped burial mound. The structure incorporates a pair of ceremonial altars on both sides of the constricted area, and is surrounded by three moats. Constructed during the middle of the fifth century, it is surrounded by at least 10 smaller tumuli called baicho (smaller mounds located near major tumuli).
A sarcophagus (stone coffin), armor, and other artifacts were unearthed at the tumulus during the Edo and Meiji periods, and illustrations dating from the time depict the discoveries. In the past, the local people celebrated the area’s beautiful cherry blossoms.