Sakai City Museum and the Largest Tumulus in Japan

Sakai is a city located just south of Osaka in Osaka Prefecture. It has a long history as one of Japan’s most important seaports, and was once famous for the production of samurai swords, although is now more well known as a producer of quality kitchen knives, an industry which still thrives in the city today.

Sakai City Museum and the Largest Tumulus in Japan

It is also known for the many keyhole-shaped burial mounds, called kofun, which are clustered around the area and mostly date back to around the 5th century. As a collective, they are known as the Mozu Kofungun, and the largest of these is called the Daisen Kofun, which is not only the largest tumulus (burial mound) in Japan, but probably in the whole world (when measured by area).

Sakai City Museum and the Largest Tumulus in Japan

Sakai City Museum is located in Daisen Park, a large green parkland that encompasses a number of kofun within its grounds, and which sits right next to the huge Daisen Kofun. Built in 1980, the museum is a showcase of Sakai’s rich history, displaying a large collection of artifacts from the Mozu Kofungun tumulus cluster, as well as items relating to the various industries prevalent in the region in more recent centuries. There are a good variety of interesting items on display, with some English-language signage and pamphlets available if you don’t understand Japanese.

Sakai City Museum and the Largest Tumulus in Japan

Some of the main exhibitions include grave goods from the Kofun period (250 to 538 AD), through to weapons from Japan’s feudal times, up to the nostalgia (for some!) of items from the early 20th century. There are a number of interactive displays, plus the chance to dress up in Japanese armor to see just how heavy it was. A special display area hosts around five themed exhibits every year, so there is always something new to see for returning visitors.

Sakai City Museum and the Largest Tumulus in Japan

The Daisen Kofun is also known as the mausoleum or tomb of Emperor Nintoku (Nintoku-tenno-ryoin Japanese) who was the 16thEmperor of Japan. The spectacular site is roughly 840m long and 300m wide at its widest point, and three moats enclose the burial mound which rises to 35m high. The kofun is off-limits to visitors, but to get an idea of its size there is a viewing platform which is accessible from the south side of the site.

Sakai City Museum and the Largest Tumulus in Japan

The museum sits in the middle of the green and leafy Daisen Park and is a 6-minute walk west ofMozu Station on the JRHanwa Line. It is open from 9.30am to 5.15pm (last admission 4.30pm)Tuesday to Sunday, and closed on Mondays (or the following day if Monday is a holiday) and during the New Year holiday. Entry is 200 yen for adults, 100 yen for students and 50 yen for elementary and junior high school students.

Sakai City Museum

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Osaka Sakaishi Sakai-ku Mozusekiunchou 2 inside Daisen Park

0722456201

9:30-17:15 (admission until …

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