NARA - A series of national treasure-level discoveries continue to unfold at the "Tomio Maruyama Kofun," a historical burial mound, including a serpentine sword measuring 2.37 meters and a meticulously detailed shield-shaped bronze mirror.
Surprising Discoveries Within the Coffin
Masaki Kanegata, Director of the Nara City Buried Cultural Property Research Center, expressed his astonishment: "It's surprising to find multiple well-preserved mirrors." The three newly discovered bronze mirrors, each about 20 cm in diameter, include one that might be the "Triangular-rimmed Divine Beast Mirror," believed to have been bestowed upon the shaman queen Himiko by China. A blackened vertical comb, possibly used in burial rites, was also found.
These artifacts were discovered inside a wooden coffin. Covered in a layer of clay, the coffin, over 1600 years old, was remarkably well-preserved. The interior's reddish hue suggests it was sprinkled with cinnabar, a substance linked to immortality in ancient Chinese lore.
Professor Naohiro Toyoshima of Nara University explained, "Cinnabar was considered a medicine for eternal life in ancient China. It was spread inside tombs to protect the remains and bestow everlasting life."
Who Rested in This Coffin?
The identity of the person laid to rest here remains a mystery. Kanegata speculates, "Based on the burial goods, it feels like it was a woman, perhaps someone involved in ritualistic or shamanistic practices."
Kanegata added, "From another burial facility at the top of this mound, weapons and a large number of stone products were excavated. It's possible that the individual buried at the top played a political or military role, and the two might have shared responsibilities in governing at that time."
The excavation of the Tomio Maruyama Kofun could potentially rewrite textbooks, depending on the findings. The reason lies in the mound's origins.
The "Wei Zhi Woren Zhuan" is a Chinese text that describes Japan in the 3rd century. Time passed, and the next detailed record is found in the "Song Shu," which mentions the "Five Kings of Wa." The "four centuries" between these periods, a time of warring small states transitioning to an established monarchy, remains largely unknown. However, the Tomio Maruyama Kofun is believed to have been constructed during this enigmatic era.
Professor Toyoshima remarked, "The presence of a king who built such a large tomb, supported by someone with items not found in other tombs, suggests that a system was already forming by the end of the 4th century. If similar, yet unexcavated tombs are explored in the future, we can gradually fill in the gaps of this unknown period."
