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Ancient tombs get 4K video treatment in Osaka

Courtesy of the Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group World Heritage Management Local Council
A moat around a mounded tomb reflects the morning sun.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:52 JST, February 22, 2022

A group of kofun, ancient Japanese burial mounds known for often having a distinctive keyhole-shaped layout, is the subject of a high-definition 4K video capturing the tombs’ uniqueness and beauty.

The tombs of the Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group comprise a World Heritage site in Osaka Prefecture, where local governments used drones and other equipment to make the four-minute video in a bid to promote tourism despite pandemic-related barriers to travel.

In the video, armchair travelers — and future real-life visitors — can feast their eyes on the enormous tree-covered mass of the Nintoku-tenno-ryo Kofun in the central part of the Mozu area in Sakai, with the modern cityscape spreading out all around it. It also shows the Gobyoyama Kofun in the same area, with its moat reflecting the ever-changing colors of the morning sky in a beautiful time-lapse sequence.

Courtesy of the Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group World Heritage Management Local Council

The Nintoku-tenno-ryo Kofun, keyhole-shaped burial mound, is seen in Sakai, Osaka.

Ojin-tenno-ryo Kofun in the central part of the Furuichi area in Habikino is shown with neighboring fields of figs, and farmers are seen harvesting the fruits.

Images such as the Sekimenyama Kofun — beneath an elevated highway in Fujiidera — illustrate the history of heritage left behind in the bustle of civic life and urban development.

There is no narration, but the persuasive visual power of the video is intended to convey the charm of the city to those in other countries.

The Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group World Heritage Management Local Council, made up of the three local cities of Sakai, Habikino, and Fujiidera, and the Osaka prefectural government, filmed the video last summer.

The video is accompanied by a link to the website of the local council, which has texts in many languages including Chinese and Korean.

The person in charge of the project said, “We hope that the beauty of the video alone will surprise people from overseas and make them wonder, ‘Where the earth am I?’ We hope that this will help boost inbound tourism after the pandemic.”

The video, posted on YouTube early this month, can be viewed at https://youtu.be/MeMt4vuenZs.