Nintoku Mausoleum in Sakai

Nintoku Mausoleum is the largest Mausoleum (external building or burial chamber constructed as a monument) in Japan. The Nintoku Mausoleum is considered as one of the three largest tombs in the world and it is located in the city of Sakai, southeast of Osaka.

The Mausoleum was built in the 5th century in the name of Emperor Nintoku on a larger scale than the Pyramids of Egypt. The construction of Nintoku Mausoleum took about twenty long years with a total work force of about 800,000 laborers. The site of Nintoku Mausoleum covers about 1.3 million square feet. The tomb of Nintoku in Nintoku Mausoleum is surrounded with three moats and pine, cypress trees and cedar. The structure is in the shape of keyhole with overall length of 486 meters, 35 meter height and a total area of about 460,000 square meters.

The easiest way to reach the Nintoku Mausoleum is to catch JR Hanwa line and to drop down at Mozu station. From Mozu station, a walk of five minutes is required to reach the mausoleum. Admission to the inner area is not permitted, but the visitors are permitted to walk around the outer moat which gives an idea of Nintoku Mausoleum and the grounds. One should definitely witness this kind of Mausoleum at least once in a life time as the architecture is a master piece of its own kind.

Nintoku Mausoleum in Sakai