【Treasures of Fukuoka】No. 2 Excavated Artifacts from Chikuzen Yoshitake Ruins.

In 1981, a research excavation started for the Yoshitake Ruins, hidden under the Sawara plain in the Iimori mountain. From the ruins, traces of villages from the middle of the Yayoi period and a compound of tombs were found one after another. One of them was “The Third Wooden Coffin”, known to be Japan's oldest tomb for a king, which contained swords and beads and a mirror.

The coffin, made by combining multiple wooden plates, housed a dead body, which was surrounded by swords, an ax, and a halberd that were made of bronze. Jade beads, and pipe-shaped jasper beads, were found on the chest of the dead body. Unfortunately, the bones of the dead body were already missing at the time of discovery, so there are no clues as to the person’s sex or age. However, the gorgeous burial items in the tomb suggest that the former occupant of the tomb must have been the most powerful figure even among the owners of the numerous other tombs in the area.

These burial items are usually displayed at the "Age of Nakoku" section of the museum's permanent exhibition room, but during the exhibition period of the "Treasures of Fukuoka", they will be displayed at the special exhibition room, which will allow visitors to study the objects more closely.  (During the exhibition period, replicas will be displayed in the permanent exhibition room.)

First, take a look at the Tachu Saimonkyo mirror - a bronze mirror with multiple knobs and minute patterns. On its back, the mirror is filled with circular and triangular shapes inscribed with fine lines. Eight circles, divided into four parts, are found on four different places with two in each. Each fourth part of the circle is inscribed with fine lines alternating vertically and horizontally. Upon closer inspection, the big triangular design reveals a combination of smaller triangles. Some argue that this design in the mirror is an East Asian expression of the universe.

 

Secondly, please take a look at this thin bronze sword.

Today, I’ll show you the backside, which is usually undisplayed in the exhibition room.

The smaller of the two swords has stripe-like patterns which are visible under a light when you move your face left to right or up and down. Also, this bronze sword was polished by using a method called Togiwake. In the Togiwake method, the direction of polishing a sword changes, which gives the sword glittering stripes. The sword must have been created this way to be used in rituals or as a symbol of power. It is less likely that it was used in actual battles.

This is how the sword looks like in a survey drawing.→

Thirdly, the bronze herbert.

In the “Treasures of Fukuoka”, we are showing its backside, which is usually undisplayed. When you look closer, you will notice that there are square-shaped accretions. These were made by silk cloth. This suggests that burial items were covered by silk cloths or placed in a box laid with silk cloths. This is a very rare find, considering Japan’s highly acidic soil, which rarely preserves organic matter such as cloth or wood. We can’t show the accretions in the photo, so please visit the exhibition to see it physically!

Unearthed artifacts from the Yoshitake Takagi ruins and the third wooden coffin were designated as important cultural assets in 1987. The Ruins themselves were designated as a national historic site in 1993.

The artifacts of the Yoshitake Takagi Ruins, excluding those found with the third coffin, are currently on exhibit at our permanent exhibition room.