Daisen Kofun and the Identity of Its Occupant

Record summary

Daisen Kofun is one of Japan’s largest keyhole-shaped burial mounds and is traditionally identified with Emperor Nintoku. The mound forms part of the Mozu Kofungun, a major cluster of monumental tombs, but the occupant’s identity cannot be independently confirmed because the imperial designation restricts archaeological investigation. Its scale, construction, satellite mounds, and chronology are central to debates about early state formation and elite power. The lead supports comparison of mortuary monuments, while requiring careful separation of imperial tradition, inscriptional evidence, and archaeological inference.