Society

Japan’s Oldest Multiplication Chart Found in Nara, Dating Back 1,300 Years

NARA, Sep 05 (News On Japan) - An ancient multiplication table, believed to be the oldest in Japan, has been discovered at the ruins of Fujiwara Palace in Nara Prefecture.

The wooden tablet, when viewed under infrared light, reveals inscriptions such as:

9 x 9 = 81
4 x 9 = 36
6 x 8 = 48

The wooden artifact is approximately 1,300 years old, making it the oldest known multiplication table in Japan. The chart begins with the nine times table, with five equations written horizontally in a single line.

Kuniya Kuwata, Chief Researcher at the Department of Cultural Heritage, commented, "I initially thought Japanese multiplication charts only had 2 to 3 equations per line, so I was genuinely surprised to find one with so many, similar to those in China and Korea."

The tablet is believed to have been used by the "Emonfu" office, responsible for security and other administrative duties, likely for calculating the workdays of officials or tax-related figures.

Source: YOMIURI

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