The
ancient battles staged in the Kyushu area and the history of swords
The history of war in Japan started with rice
cultivation methods exported from the Chinese continent in the Yayoi Period. As
agriculture became more popular and popular, the fiercer the competition became
over land and water. The first battle tool that emerged was made of stone.
Leaders of agricultural communes equipped themselves with sharp daggers and
arrows which were similar to the ones used in the Korean peninsula.
Metal ware spread throughout the country over
hundreds of years.
Bronze weapons such as swords emerged around
the 3rd century BC and iron swords appeared during 2nd -1st century BC. Even
during the era when ironware was mainly used, bronze or wooden items shaped
like weapons were used as festive implements.
Thus, arms in ancient times had various
usages.
In the Kofun Period, the demand for iron weapons
increased, fueled by the rapidly changing social situation in East Asia. This
was when a large decorative sword, known as the “Soshoku no Tachi”, which
symbolized the authority of the leaders of that period, emerged. The sword was
created by making full use of the art techniques of that time.
This exhibition introduces battles that
happened in the northern Kyushu area and a history of swords, through the
exhibition of excavated artifacts from the Yayoi to the Kofun period.