Bronze mirror fragments from 81 ancient mirrors unearthed at Sakurai Chausuyama kofun suggest the tomb belonged to a powerful king of Wa

331 broken mirror fragments were unearthed from a stone chamber of the late 3rd – early 4th century Sakurai Chausuyama burial mound, according to a Yomiuri Shimbun report. The fragments are believed to belong to 81 ancient bronze mirrors but archaeologists think that the tomb which appears to have been robbed once contained more than 100 mirrors.

Through 3-D analysis, Kashihara Archaoelogical Institute in Nara Prefecture established that the pieces were part of 26 mirrors known as Sakakubuchi Shinjukyo and 19 mirrors known as Naiko Kamonkyo that were made in Japan and China. Sankakubuchi Shinjukyo mirrors are engraved with Seishi Gannen (in Japanese reading), a period name of Wei-dynasty China, meaning the first year of the Seishi era or 240. Although three mirrors bearing the year Seishi Gannen have been found in Japan before, this find is significant because it is the first time such a mirror has been found in Nara Prefecture and the finds are thought to directly link the Yamataikoku kingdom with the Yamato dynasty in the present-day Kinki region, that was later to become known as the Imperial Court. Read the full story below …

Bits of 81 ancient bronze mirrors unearthed

The Yomiuri Shimbun 9 Jan 2010

Right: A mirror marked with "Seishi Gannen" (first year of the Seishi era, or 240), reproduced based on data taken from a three-dimensional measurement. Left: A piece of the mirror on the right knwon as Sankakubuchi Shinjukyo, which also bears the same year. The kanji for "se" or "kore" can be seen on its surface. (Yomiuri Shimbun photos)

NARA–A total of 331 broken pieces belonging to 81 ancient bronze mirrors have been unearthed from a stone chamber of the Sakurai Chausuyama burial mound in Sakurai, Nara Prefecture, according to an archaeological institute.

The pieces, which belonged to 13 different kinds of mirrors, were the largest number to be excavated as burial items from an ancient tomb in the nation. The tomb dates to between the late third century and early fourth century.

Some of the pieces had been made in the same mold as Sankakubuchi Shinjukyo mirrors, which are engraved with Seishi Gannen (in the Japanese reading), a period name of Wei-dynasty China, meaning the first year of the Seishi era, or 240.

Himiko, a female ruler of the Yamatai-koku kingdom, is said to have received 100 mirrors from the Wei dynasty in that year.

The Kashihara Archeological Institute in Nara Prefecture believes the discovery may help directly link the Yamataikoku kingdom with the Yamato dynasty, in the present-day Kinki region, that was later to be known as the Imperial Court.

According to the institute, the largest piece discovered in the tomb is 11.1 centimeters long and 6.3 centimeters wide. With the new discovery, the institute’s research now covers 384 items, including those in private collections and others recovered from the tomb during an excavation 60 years ago.

Because the institute could not completely reconstruct any of the mirrors, they believe most of the mirrors originally buried in the tomb were either stolen or destroyed when the tomb was robbed in medieval times and later.

Through three-dimensional analysis, the institute confirmed the pieces are part of 26 mirrors known as Sankakubuchi Shinjukyo, and 19 mirrors known as Naiko Kamonkyo that were made in Japan and China.

The institute has not yet identified the mirror types for the remaining 180 broken pieces.

Forty mirrors from Hirabaru No. 1 tomb in Itoshima, Fukuoka Prefecture, dating back to the late second century, were the most excavated from a tomb until the recent discovery.

One of the recently unearthed pieces bore kanji with the Japanese reading of “ze” or “kore,” as had another mirror excavated from Kanizawa Tomb in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture, leading the researchers to believe the piece came from a mirror made in the Gunma mirror mold that also bears the Seishi Gannen inscription. Three mirrors bearing the year Seishi Gannen have been found in the nation, but this is the first time a mirror assumed to have been engraved with a date from the period was found in Nara Prefecture.

Among the mirror fragments was a piece from a 40-centimeter Naiko Kamonkyo mirror, the largest known class of domestically made mirrors from that time.

“We could assume the tomb had more than 100 mirrors. It suggests the power held by the King of Wa [an ancient name for Japan],” said Taichiro Shiraishi, director of the Chikatsu Asuka Museum in Osaka Prefecture, specializing in archeology.

“Since burial items of kings and other high-ranking people have yet to be identified, this discovery is expected to greatly impact Kofun period research,” he said.

(Jan. 9, 2010)

In the news: Discovery of a make-up kit in ancient Heian tomb in Nishiwaki, Hyogo

Rare find: Masahiro Ikeda, curator at the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Archaeology, points Wednesday to a pot from an ancient makeup kit discovered in a tomb in Nishiwaki, Hyogo Prefecture. Above left is a rusty clod in which a pair of iron scissors and tweezers are embedded. Also in the picture is a Chinese bronze mirror. KYODO PHOTO

What did an ancient make-up kit comprise of? 

A make-up kit was discovered in ancient Heian period tomb in Nishiwaki, Hyogo Prefecture recently. See the Japan Times news report on the rare finding posted below…

Heian tomb yields tweezers
REIJI YOSHIDA

A makeup kit containing a pair of 17-cm iron scissors and iron tweezers 8.5 cm long has been discovered in the tomb of a woman who lived at the end of the Heian Period (794-1192), archaeologists said recently.

Also found inside the tomb, in Nishiwaki, Hyogo Prefecture, were a clay pot 6 cm in diameter and a 5.7-cm porcelain pot as well as a 9-cm bronze mirror made in China, according to officials of the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Archaeology in Harimacho.

“It’s very, very rare to discover ancient makeup implements,” Shiro Yamashita, the museum’s head of public relations said Thursday by phone.

The discovery is particularly precious because “few (historical) materials that tell something about the life of women living outside ancient capitals remain,” Yamashita said.

The makeup kit was found inside the tomb together with other belongings of the woman, whose social status was presumably high.

The woman may have had a close relationship with an influential person who ruled the local area on behalf of a lord who lived in Kyoto, the capital at that time, Yamashita said.

Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009  Japan Times

In the news: Ancient Nara – Heian period ornamental pond and garden site discovered in Tohoku region

Remains of artificial pond discovered around ancient capital of Tohoku region

The Konoike area, which appears to have been a pond. (Mainichi)

TAGAJO, Miyagi — Archaeologists have discovered what appears to be traces of an artificial pond 400 meters in circumference here, part of an ornamental garden dating back to the Nara or Heian periods.

The area, where the ruins of Taga Castle are located, was the former capital of the Tohoku region. The pond, measuring around 130 by 100 meters, appears to have been created by a wood and stone dike — the remains of which have been unearthed near the ancient government office’s south gate road.

The site dates back to between the late 8th and late 9th century, judging from geological samples and artifacts found.

The dike appears to have been constructed by shoring up a wooden picket fence with earth, with paving stones laid on top. Located in the swampy Konoike area, the new discovery raises the likelihood that the pond was artificial.

Click here for the original Japanese story

(Mainichi Japan) November 15, 2009

Newly discovered remains of possible palace ruins advances theory that Makimuku structure may have been Queen Himiko’s palace and centre of Yamataikoku

Featured in today’s and yesterday’s news reports, is the new discovery of the ruins of a possible palace structure at Makimuku, Sakurai, Nara Prefecture. The finding bolsters the theory that the earlier discovered nearby Hashihaka keyhole-shaped tomb  may be Queen Himiko’s….see Mainichi report below for details. The Daily Yomiuri also carries the same news (3rd-century structure unearthed in Nara Pref. (Nov 12)) and has the additional information that “Earthenware items produced in various regions from Kanto to Kyushu have been unearthed there” as well as “Each pillar is about 32 centimeters in diameter. It is likely that the structure had an elevated floor.” Japan Times also covers the news - see  Japan Times: Dig in Nara, not Kyushu, yields palatial ruins possibly of Himiko.

Recently excavated remains at the Makimuku ruins in Sakurai, Nara Prefecture, might once have been a palace.

Remains of large structure unearthed at Makimuku ruins in Nara

The Makimuku ruins, where the remains of the structure were discovered, are pictured in Sakurai, Nara Prefecture on Nov. 5 in this photo taken from a Mainichi helicopter. (Mainichi)

SAKURAI, Nara — The remains of a major structure from the third century — corresponding with the period in which the ancient Japanese queen Himiko lived — has been unearthed at the Makimuku ruins here, the Sakurai Municipal Board of Education has announced.

The Makimuku ruins are believed to be the most likely location of the Yamataikoku kingdom that is associated with Himiko. Education board officials said that holes for pillars, extended 19.2 meters from north to south and 6.2 meters from east to west in an organized fashion, making it one of the largest buildings from the period.

The newly discovered structure was designed to be symmetrical along a line running from east to west, lining up with three structures and a barrier line that were confirmed during past digs, and there is a possibility it was the palace of Himiko. The find is likely to advance the theory that Himiko’s realm was in the Yamato Province in the present-day Kinki region.

Hironobu Ishino, head of the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Archeology, said the find was a strong basis for concluding that the Yamataikoku kingdom was located at the site of the Makimuku ruins.

“The building is of a size unparalleled for the same period. It is too big for a dwelling,” he said, adding that it probably corresponded to the “palace” of Himiko mentioned in ancient Chinese historical records.

In 1978 a barrier and remains of a building were found, and starting from the point of these discoveries, and expanded survey was launched in February this year. The remains of a large building were later found in an eastern part of the site.

The postholes at the newly discovered site were about 30 centimeters in diameter and were spaced at 4.8-meter intervals from north to south and were 3.1 meters apart from east to west. There were also small holes between the postholes running from east to west that were used to support floorboards.

It is believed that the structure had a total floor space of about 238 square meters, about 1.5 times bigger that the main shrine at the Yoshinogari archeological site in Saga Prefecture, thought to be one of the biggest moat-surrounded settlements during the Yayoi Period.

No earlier sites in which structures have been placed in a symmetrical east-west layout have been uncovered. The features of the structure are similar to those of palaces of the Asuka period (around the seventh century), and there is a high possibility that it was part of the center of a kingdom.

Queen Himiko is believed to have died around 248.

Click here for the original Japanese story

(Mainichi Japan) November 11, 2009

On display: Oldest hair found in Yoshinogari (Saga Prefecture) dates from Yayoi period

Handle with care: This tuft of hair discovered in an ancient tomb in Yoshinogari, Saga Prefecture, is believed to be the oldest ever found in Japan and part of the "mizura" hairdo, shown in the illustration. KYODO PHOTO

Japan’s oldest hair find displayed

SAGA (Kyodo) What is believed to be the oldest hair ever discovered in Japan has been put on display in an exhibition in Saga Prefecture until Nov. 23.

The tuft, discovered in 1968 in an ancient tomb in Yoshinogari, Saga Prefecture, is believed to be that of a man who lived in the Yayoi Period around the late first century.

According to Chuhei Takashima, president of Saga Women’s Junior College, the hair is part of an ancient hairdo called “mizura,” a bunch of hair that is wrapped round and hangs beside the ears.

The hair is so fragile that it had never been put on display for public viewing.

“Yoshinogari is one of the candidate places that may have been the land of (the) Yamataikoku (kingdom). We hope many people will become interested,” Takashima said.

 

Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009 Source: Japan Times

Nobleman’s tomb of the Yamato dynasty uncovered in Nara

Fit for a nobleman: A red-colored chamber that forms the core part of the Sakurai Chausu-yama tomb in Sakurai, Nara Prefecture, was unveiled to the media Thursday. KYODO PHOTO

Source: Ancient tomb unveiled in Nara (Japan Times, Friday, Oct. 23, 2009)
KASHIHARA, Nara Pref. (Kyodo) Archaeologists showed to the media Thursday a stone chamber that was excavated at an ancient tomb near Nara and is believed to date back to the late third to early fourth centuries.

 
Fit for a nobleman: A red-colored chamber that forms the core part of the Sakurai Chausu-yama tomb in Sakurai, Nara Prefecture, was unveiled to the media Thursday. KYODO PHOTO

The red-colored chamber measures 6.75 meters long, 1.2 meters wide and 1.7 meters high, and forms the core part of the Sakurai Chausu-yama burial mound in Sakurai, Nara Prefecture.

The Nara Prefectural Kashihara Archaeological Institute restarted research on the chamber earlier this year to look into its structure.

The tomb is believed to be that of a nobleman in the early years of the Yamato dynasty, which ruled major parts of Japan from the third to seventh centuries.

The walls of the stone chamber, the core part of the tomb, are made of more than 1,000 processed stone plates, each measuring 30 to 40 cm wide. Precious cinnabar pigment has been used abundantly to color the stone chamber.

The tomb will be open to the public from Oct. 29 to 31

20 stone tools dated to 120,000 years ago may write Japan’s Palaeolithic history

20 tool artifacts were reported by both The Asahi Shimbun, Yomiuri Shimbun and Japan Times (scroll down page to read the report) to have been unearthed at Sunabara in Izumo, Shimane Prefecture – are said to be Japan’s oldest stone tools used in Japan … dating back 120,000 years. If this news is verified to be true, it would re-write Japanese history for the Palaeolithic Period. Historians and experts are cautious right now … understandably so … recalling the huge archaeological hoaxes at the end of the 20th century surrounding supposed Palaeolithic Period finds dated back to 500,000 years ago.  Even if the finds are established to be authentic, they raise further questions … were the prehistoric people who wielded those tools merely passing through, or did they stay and start the first tribes to populate Japan?

 

***

Some of the stone tools deemed to be the oldest yet uncovered in Japan (Photo: TAKAHARU YAGI/The Asahi Shimbun)

Stone tools may be the oldest found in Japan by Ichiro Nonaka

MATSUE–Archaeologists say 20 stone artifacts uncovered near here in a geological layer from 120,000 years ago are likely the oldest paleolithic tools to be found in Japan.

The discovery was announced Tuesday by Kazuto Matsufuji, a professor of paleolithic archaeology at Doshisha University in Kyoto, who led the team of researchers.

The site, called the Sunabara remains, is in Izumo, Shimane Prefecture. It dates from the Middle Paleolithic period (130,000 years to 35,000 years ago). Excavation work began Sept. 16.

The artifacts may have been crafted 30,000 years earlier than stone tools found at the Kanedori site in Tono, Iwate Prefecture, which previously were regarded as Japan’s oldest, from about 90,000 years ago.

Researchers said the latest discovery could shed valuable light on human settlement in prehistoric times.

The group started the survey after a topographer in Izumo found a stone with a sharpened edge in a cliff with exposed layers in August.

Researchers said the stone tools were found in a layer between a stratum of volcanic ash spewed out by Mount Sanbesan about 110,000 years ago and a sand gravel stratum dating back 128,000 years.

The artifacts range in length from 1.5 centimeters to 5 cm.

“The stone tools each show traces of people having worked on them,” Matsufuji said.

“Furthermore, rocks from the layer from which they were dug out are mostly andesitic, quite different from quartzite and rhyolite used for the tools.

“For this reason, we think the tools may have been brought in from somewhere else,” he said.

Other archaelogists had mixed reactions to the new finds.

Fumiaki Takehiro, an associate professor at Hiroshima University’s graduate school, agreed the stone tools were likely fashioned by humans and welcomed the discovery as helping to enlighten researchers on this period of history.

But Takashi Inada, a professor emeritus at Okayama University, said more research is needed before concluding the finds are indeed tools crafted by humans.

Research into Japan’s paleolithic era has been stalled since 2000, when Shinichi Fujimura, an amateur archaeologist deemed preeminent in the field, was exposed for having faked important discoveries.(IHT/Asahi: October 1,2009)

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Tools may rewrite Paleolithic Japan Thursday, Oct. 1, 2009 Japan Times

MATSUE, Shimane Pref. (Kyodo) A team of archaeologists and researchers said Tuesday that they have likely unearthed the oldest stone tools used in Japan — 20 artifacts dating back some 120,000 years — at the Sunabara remains in Izumo, Shimane Prefecture.

The basic assumption among researchers has been that the first human ancestors landed in Japan about 40,000 years ago. The new findings might pave the way for a review of mankind’s history in Japan and give impetus to research on the Paleolithic Period.

The excavation team, led by Doshisha University professor Kazuto Matsufuji, discovered stone tools measuring between 1.5 cm and 5.2 cm long at a depth of about 2 meters. They were found in soil sandwiched between layers from around 127,000 years ago and 110,000 years ago.

One of the implements has a sharp edge, a characteristic that Matsufuji said would make it a likely candidate for a thrusting object.

In August, Toshiro Naruse, a professor emeritus at Hyogo University of Teacher Education, discovered the first of the 20 stone tools on a slope.

***

‘Nation’s oldest stone tools found’

The Yomiuri Shimbun

MATSUE–Twenty stone tools believed to be the oldest discovered in the nation have been excavated from a mid-Paleolithic period geological layer, dating back 120,000 years, at an archeological site in Izumo, Shimane Prefecture, researchers said Tuesday.

According to a team of experts, led by Prof. Kazuto Matsufuji of Doshisha University, that has researched the Sunabara remains, the tools are tens of thousands years older than any previously discovered.

The existence of stone tools dating back to the early and mid-Paleolithic period in this country was thrown into question in 2000, when a former deputy director of the disbanded Tohoku Paleolithic Institute buried stone tools and later recovered them, claiming they were unearthed from 700,000-year-old archeological remains in Kurihara, Miyagi Prefecture, and other sites.

Archeologists say the latest discovery could change the way the era is studied.

The tools are between 5.2 centimeters and 1.5 centimeters long and made of quartz or rhyolite. Their surfaces indicate that they were chipped into shape.

The excavation site is located on a slope in a hilly area.

In August, Toshiro Naruse, a professor emeritus of Hyogo University of Teacher Education and a physical geography expert, discovered a knife-shaped stone tool at the site. Naruse asked Matsufuji and other researchers to research the area, leading to 19 other stone tools being discovered there.

The age of the tools was determined by examining the volcanic ash layer just above the layer from which these tools were excavated.

(Sep. 30, 2009 Daily Yomiuri) 

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