Located right in the middle of the modern-day city of Habikino, the Hakuchoryo Kofun is a huge fifth-century burial mound that according to myth is the final resting place of Yamato Takeru, a legendary prince and hero who appears in the ancient chronicles of Japan. The tomb also provided the name for the city; Habikino translates to ‘plains of the spread wings’, which refers to how after Yamato Takeru’s death, his soul turned into a great bird and flew away with its wings spread wide.
The Hakuchoryo Kofun is one of the Furuichi tombs, a cluster of more than 100 ancient burial mounds that extends across the cities of Habikino and Fujiidera and is part of the Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group World Heritage site.