Excavation work at Japan's largest mounded tomb has revealed that one of its surrounding greenbelts — not just the tomb itself — was paved with many stones, indicating the massive manpower required to build it, experts said Thursday.
The findings shed light as to the structure of the grave of Emperor Nintoku, located in Osaka Prefecture, which largely remains a mystery because the Imperial Household Agency has restricted access to the site in an effort to ensure "peace and sanctity."
The tomb, known as Daisen Kofun and built in the fifth century, consists of a keyhole-shaped mound alternately surrounded by three moats and two greenbelts, or dikes. From October, the agency has worked with the local government to study three locations in the inner dike as part of efforts to find ways to preserve the tomb.