(ORDO NEWS) — An iron sword more than 2 meters long, along with a mirror shield, was found by archaeologists.
A group of Japanese archaeologists have discovered an iron sword 2.3 meters long and a bronze mirror from an ancient burial mound near the city of Nara.
The weapon known as the dako sword is so large that it was probably never used in combat, but could serve as a symbol of protection from evil after death.
The ancient artifacts were discovered at Tomio Maruyama Mound in Nara Prefecture (Japan) and are believed to have served the ceremonial purpose of protecting the dead from evil spirits.
The mound is located in a park west of Nara and dates from around the fourth century AD.
This is an area dotted with thousands of burial mounds (called kofun , referring to the Kofun period they were built between 300 and 710 AD).
He’s been hiding for over 1600 years
Iron weapons were found in a tomb in the Tomiomaruyama mound and lay underground for over 1,600 years.
Deep in the mound, archaeologists discovered a wooden coffin almost 5 meters long, which contained a massive sword “demon hunter” and a bronze shield measuring 60 centimeters.
As for weapons, this is the largest and oldest sword found in Japan. In the past, over 80 dako swords have been discovered throughout Japan, but this recent find is the largest known example of such a weapon.
It is distinguished by its wavy, serpentine shape, from which it takes its name. Two objects were buried in clay in the very center of the ancient tomb and placed on the body of the deceased.
As for the shield (which weighs almost 6 kg), which had a bronze mirror, it is also very important, since mirrors, with the ability to reflect and cause fires, were revered objects, sacred in ancient times.
This is the first time such a mirror has been discovered in Japan.
Who owns the tomb?
Given the artifacts and their size, this could have been a person associated with the Yamato Imperial Family, although no human remains have been found so far.
What is really clear is that the kofun were built for the burial of members of the ruling class, so it would have been a person from the Japanese elite of that time.
Researchers have also found other artifacts at the site, including copper vessels, eating utensils, and iron agricultural implements.
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