【Nearly destroying it was the right call!? A kofun saved by citizens that "won't disappoint"】 🏢 Almost a housing estate! A 5th-century miracle. Built in the early 5th century (about 1,600 years ago), Itasuke Kofun is the honor student boasting the 8th-largest size in the Mozu Kofun Group. Believe it or not, in the Showa 30s it was swept up in the wave of the unprecedented "housing boom" that hit Japan and very nearly got transformed into stylish detached homes as "Itasuke New Town." Then, the moment an excavator named "Justification" took a big bite out of the kofun's "round rear mound," a miracle happened. Believe it or not, a top-tier "haniwa of a helmet with a ram-shaped front (shōkaku-tsuki kabuto)" popped out from inside to say "Hello!" You can almost hear the developers' wonderfully forced yet upbeat excuse: "See! It's precisely because we broke it that a 1,600-year-old rare item was found and the mysteries of history were solved!" — but this is a true blessing in disguise. In the end, thanks to a passionate save campaign by local citizens furious about this near-destruction crisis, it was miraculously decided that the kofun would be preserved. Today, the helmet haniwa unearthed back then serves as the "symbol mark" of Sakai City's cultural property protection, keeping a watchful eye all over town as if to say, "Don't you ever try to destroy us again." 🧐 Honestly, there are so many, so just one…? From the perspective of an outsider who isn't a local, let me dare to share an inappropriate but honest thought. "Sakai City has over 100 kofun, so honestly, if just one of them had become a 3LDK with the latest built-in kitchen, would anyone have even noticed…?" However, the real fun of Itasuke Kofun lies in its current "surreal appearance." Although it was saved by the citizens' movement, the "land route (bridge)" was removed during construction, so it's now a completely isolated island. As a result, it has become a "tanuki paradise (forbidden realm)" that humans can't set foot on at all. In the middle of a World Heritage area, the sight of wild tanuki surviving while thanking the citizens' movement of the past—"Thanks for protecting our home!"—is by now the wittiest piece of contemporary art. 🦥 The remains of the collapsed bridge and tanuki watching Standing in front of the moat, you'll see the "foundations of the phantom bridge," destroyed mid-construction, still vividly remaining. While gazing at the boundary between destruction and preservation, if you're lucky, you'll spot tanuki swimming in the moat or turtles basking in the sun. Unlike kofun such as Daisenryo that are "too big to see the whole thing," its "just-right size"—5 minutes to walk all the way around—is also great. 🍛 Kofun food to savor the afterglow Right near Itasuke Kofun (around Mozu Station) and around neighboring Daisen Park, there are cafes here and there serving "kofun curry" modeled on the shape of the moat and "kofun-shaped sweets" in the shape of keyhole tombs. They say—or maybe not—that the guilty pleasure of breaking down the curry from its "front section" with your spoon lets you vicariously experience the feelings of the heavy machinery operator who tried to destroy Itasuke Kofun in the Showa 30s. The sheer nerve of turning even the scars of near-destruction (the collapsed bridge) into a tourist attraction truly makes it Japan's toughest kofun. After being overwhelmed by the giant Daisenryo Kofun in Daisen Park, be sure to make your way to this lovable kofun—"humans couldn't destroy it, but tanuki took it over"—to witness its superb comeback story.

Itasuke Kofun (Sakai, Osaka) ◾5Elements Origin 【・Access】 ・Train: Approx. a 10-min walk from "Mozu Station" (JR Hanwa Line), or approx. a 12-min walk from "Mikunigaoka Station" (JR Hanwa Line / Nankai Koya Line). ・Car: Approx. 10 min from the "Sakai IC" of the Hanshin Expressway Route 15 Sakai Line. 【・Time】 ・Stay: 15–20 min (for viewing the tomb and the collapsed bridge from the viewing area). ・Hours: Open 24 hours (The exterior viewing area and surrounding paths are accessible anytime). 【・Outfit】 ・Footwear: Sneakers or comfortable walking shoes are fine. The viewing area faces a regular paved street in a residential area. 【・Infrastructure】 ・Parking: No dedicated parking. Visitors traveling by car should use the paid public parking lots around the nearby Daisen Park (approx. a 10-min walk) or coin-operated parking lots in the neighborhood. ・Restrooms: No restrooms on-site. The nearest public restrooms are located inside Daisen Park. ・Accessibility: Mostly barrier-free. The viewing area on the edge of the moat is located flat along the paved public street, allowing easy access for strollers and wheelchairs. 【・Area Info】 ・Eat: A few small local cafes and bakeries are scattered in the surrounding residential area. ・Stay: Accommodations are scarce in the immediate vicinity. Most visitors stay near JR/Nankai Mikunigaoka Station or Nankai Sakaihigashi Station. −−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−− Itasuke Kofun (Kita Ward, Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture) ◾5Elements Origin 【・Access】 ・Train: Approx. a 10-min walk from "Mozu Station" on the JR Hanwa Line, or approx. a 12-min walk from "Mikunigaoka Station" on the JR Hanwa Line / Nankai Koya Line. ・Car: Approx. 10 min from "Sakai IC" on the Hanshin Expressway Route 15 Sakai Line. 【・Time】 ・Estimated stay: 15–20 min (viewing and photographing from the viewing space along the road). ・Viewing hours: 24 hours (freely viewable from the roadside all day). 【・Outfit】 ・Shoes: Since you view it from a paved, flat public road, regular comfortable sneakers and the like are fine. 【・Infrastructure】 ・Parking: None (parking is prohibited on the road in front of the kofun. If coming by car, use the paid public parking lots around Daisen Park and walk approx. 10 min, or use coin parking in the area). ・Restrooms: None. The nearest public restroom is in a facility inside Daisen Park. ・Barrier-free: Basically accessible. Since you view it across the moat from a regular paved road (sidewalk) in a residential area, there are no steps and it's easy to approach with a wheelchair or stroller. 【・Area Info】 ・Food: The surrounding area is a quiet residential neighborhood, but there are a few hidden-gem cafes and bakeries scattered around. For a proper meal, you'll have more options if you head to the area around Mozu Station or Daisen Park. ・Accommodation: None near the kofun. It's common to stay at business hotels around Mikunigaoka Station, within walking distance, or around "Sakaihigashi Station" on the Nankai Koya Line, a major station.

Partly because I see it every day from the Hanwa Line on my commute, it's small but personally one of my favorite kofun😊 Today I got to walk around it and take a good long look♫

Given its history, it's a kofun with only a few trees growing on it. In the water-filled moat, a mound that's low for its size remains. The bridge piers and girders this kofun is known for have, naturally, deteriorated badly.

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I'd heard tanuki show up near the bridge with the fallen girders, a remnant of past housing development, but there were only waterfowl. With the trees cut down, the kofun's shape is easy to see, but I wish they'd also show some consideration for the wild animals living there. I've visited other kofun too, but I haven't seen any given such a neat haircut (tree clearing) as this one.

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