The artifacts were thought to have been reburied in the Daisen Kofun burial mound after they were first discovered in 1872, but instead they've been in a private collection for 150 years.
Kokugakuin University MuseumThe recovered armor fragments and knife, along with the paper they were wrapped in.
Until recently, access to the Daisen Kofun burial mound — the apparent tomb of Japanese Emperor Nintoku — had been severely limited. But back in March, representatives from 17 academic history and archaeology organizations were invited to visit the keyhole-shaped mound.
Escorted by officials from the Imperial Household Agency, it was the first time since the end of the Second World War that scholars had been allowed to visit the sacred site. They did not enter the tomb itself, nor did they bring back any artifacts. Still, it marked a monumental occasion, as the burial mound had been effectively inaccessible to non-officials since 1872, when the front of the tomb was examined by local authorities.
That same year, a number of items were unearthed near the tomb, documented in drawings, and then supposedly reburied. As it would turn out, however, not all of the artifacts were returned to the earth.
In June, the Kokugakuin University Museum announced that they had received artifacts from an art dealer a year prior — artifacts which the dealer claimed came from Nintoku’s tomb. Now, after a year of analysis, the museum has confirmed this to be true, and for the first time ever, the public can see genuine artifacts from the fifth-century burial mound.
Kaichiro Kashiwagi’s Seal Confirms The Objects Came From The Tomb
Until now, there was no physical evidence of what the excavations in 1872 found in the ancient burial mound. The only record consisted of drawings created by Kaichiro Kashiwagi, who investigated the tomb and documented the discoveries within.
Kashiwagi’s illustrations featured objects such as armor, helmets, glassware, and swords, but it now seems that he kept some of the grave goods for himself.
Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and TourismAn aerial view of the burial mound that houses the tomb of Emperor Nintoku.
When Kokugakuin University Museum purchased a collection from an art dealer last year with objects supposedly taken from the burial mound, one key piece of evidence stood out: The artifacts were wrapped in paper stamped with the seal of none other than Kashiwagi himself.
“The discovery of physical artifacts, not just illustrations, holds immense historical value and could open the door to further investigation of the site,” Masashi Tokuda, a visiting archaeology professor at Kansai University and former official of the Imperial Household Agency, told The Asahi Shimbun.
The Artifacts Recovered From The Daisen Kofun In The 19th Century
Among the artifacts now in the museum’s collection was an elaborate knife that was broken in two. It was encased in a wooden sheath with a gold-plated copper fitting. Notably, the design is unlike any other finding, domestic or foreign, from the fifth century. Also of note: Kashiwagi did not produce an illustration of the knife. Perhaps, researchers theorized, this was because he privately retained some of the excavated items.
However, the other artifact — fragments of iron armor coated with gold — did appear in Kashiwagi’s illustrations. Descriptions on the paper that was used to wrap the artifacts specifically noted that these objects had come from Emperor Nintoku’s tomb, which aligned with other tests that dated them to the fifth century.
These objects were not for everyday use but rather were seemingly crafted specifically as grave goods for the emperor.
Kokugakuin University MuseumA closer look at the knife and armor fragments.
While some items at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston are believed to have come from Nintoku’s tomb, recent studies suggest they may have been misdated. The objects acquired by Kokugakuin University Museum, on the other hand, are the first to be definitively linked to the burial mound.
After reading about these artifacts from Emperor Nintoku’s tomb, learn all about yōkai, the mischievous and strange spirits of Japanese folklore. Then, read the incredible story of legendary swordsman Sasaki Kojirō.
