Japan is home to some 160,000 kofun — large, man-made tombs built for the ruling elite that date back to the 3rd century. Most kofun resemble keyholes, a tomb shape entirely unique to Japan. The terraced kofun are marvels of engineering, both in their scale and longevity. Today the mounds are obscured by dense forests, but they were originally covered in white stone, shining brightly in the sun. Incredible amounts of resources and labor were required for the burial mounds. The land was first prepared, shapes precisely drawn, soil was dug from moats and moved to construct the mounds, and coffins were pulled inside on wooden sleds. It’s estimated that 2,000 people worked daily for over 15 years, a feat that would likely take a team of just 60 workers only 2½ years to complete using modern construction methods. Many of the kofun contain valuable goods like swords, jewelry and horse gear. The largest kofun in Japan is the Daisenryō Kofun — also known as the Nintoku Mausoleum — located in Sakai, Osaka. It’s larger in volume than the Great Pyramid of Giza and is surrounded by three moats. Constructed in the mid-5th century, it signifies the immense power and resources of the era’s rulers.
