Osaka Castle's Octopus Stone is 5.5m × 11.7m, weighs 120+ tons, and may date to the 4th century imperial palace. How builders fitted these massive irregular blocks with such precision remains unknown.
Osaka Castle's Octopus Stone weighs over 120 tons, among 5 megaliths exceeding 100 tons
JapanArchitecture
Key facts
- The Octopus Stone (also called Drum Stone) measures 5.5m x 11.7m and weighs more than 120 tons
- At Osaka Castle, there are 5 stones weighing more than 100 tons each
- There are 15 stones weighing more than 50 tons each
- The octopus stone has a thickness of 70-90 cm
- Experts remain uncertain how these giant stones were assembled together
- The stones may be remnants of the original imperial palace from the 4th century AD, or repurposed from the Buddhist temple
- The blocks have irregular shapes but are fitted together with spectacular precision
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