(ORDO NEWS) — Ancient burials of unusual shapes known as kofuns are found throughout Japan. In their shape, they resemble a keyhole and are mounds created thousands of years ago. The largest of these, Daisen Kofun, was erected in Sakai, Osaka.
It is believed to have been built over almost 20 years in the middle of the 5th century. The rest of the mounds date back to the beginning of the 3rd – 7th centuries. and almost all of them baffle archaeologists, since no one knows what is beneath them.
There were once more than 100 burials in Daisen Kofun, but over time, the mound has become much smaller. It attracted the attention of scientists because of its size, writes Express.
“In terms of size, it is actually larger than the Egyptian pyramids,” said researcher Hiroshi Kaibe.
More than 2,000 workers took part in the construction of the grave, he said. “It must have taken 15 years and eight months to complete,” he added.
For her part, archaeologist Izumi Tachibana said that most of the ancient sites have not yet been excavated, so little is known about them. “We do not know what is inside them. The larger kofuns are believed to contain the remains of the “greatest men” of the time. However, we do not know anything about their names, ”she explained.
According to researchers, the shape of the keyhole of the kofuns is explained by the fact that they were originally ordinary round tombs, around which they later made hollow ditches. “Outside and inside, they were separated, but one part of the ditches had to connect to the ground so that people could get inside, to the circular tomb. But this is just a theory, ”the scientists noted.
Despite their attractiveness, the kofuns are closed to visitors, and researchers and archaeologists also cannot access them. Because of this, many hypotheses have appeared, according to which the mounds hide the “shameful” secrets of Japanese history.
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