The Kofun Tomio Maruyama is the largest burial mound in Japan, totaling 109 meters in diameter. Built in the second half of the 4th century, it is located in the city of Nara, in the Kansas region, one of the most traditional in the Land of the Rising Sun and which was the capital during the medieval period.
In November, during excavations carried out in an area of ??370 square meters, Japanese archaeologists discovered an iron sword up to 2.67 meters long that probably accompanied its owner to the grave so that it could be used as protection against evil spirits.
The weapon, known as a dako and the earliest example of a serpentine sword, is so large that it was probably never used for fighting. “It is twice as long as any other found so far in Japan,” say the researchers. Its edge is so wavy it is reminiscent of a snake, and its measurements initially made experts think they had come across several different blades lined up next to each other.
Next to the sword was also found a copper mirror in the shape of a turtle that was probably a shield and was also used to protect itself from evil spirits. It measures 64 centimeters long by 31 wide and weighs more than 5.5 kilograms, which also makes it the largest of its kind discovered in Japan. Its surface is smooth and polished, and it is believed to have been made by a mirror craftsman.
The finds date from the Kofun period, which lasted from around 300 to 710 AD and is named after the distinctive tomb mounds, built to bury members of the ruling class. Japan is home to approximately 160,000 of these burial mounds.
Archaeologists believe that the owner of this great sword was an influential person who had some connection to the rulers of the time, the Yamato imperial family. The two artifacts would indicate that the deceased man (of whom no trace has yet been found) may have been involved in “military and ritual affairs,” says Nara University archaeologist Naohiro Toyoshima.
Researchers have also unearthed other artifacts from Tomio Maruyama, including the (empty) coffin made of koyamaki (Sciadopitys verticillata, the Japanese umbrella pine) wood, copper vessels, eating utensils, and iron farm tools.