The town's board of education announced that a haniwa, which seems to be shaped like a drum, was found in the moat of an old burial mound in Tawaramoto Town, Nara Prefecture, in the first half of the 6th century.
It looks like a small version of the current Japanese drum, and experts say that it is a valuable resource for considering the history of musical instruments.
When the Board of Education in Tawaramoto Town, Nara Prefecture conducted an excavation survey during the construction work, an archaeological burial mound around the first half of the 6th century was confirmed last year, and in April, a rare shape like a drum was found in the moat. The haniwa that was used was excavated.
The length is about 30 cm, and the diameter of the thickest part of the torso is about 25 cm.
According to the Board of Education, a haniwa that seems to be shaped like a drum has been found in the Imashirozuka Kofun in Takatsuki City, Osaka, which is said to be the tomb of Emperor Keitai, but it is the first time that it has not been broken like this time. That is.
Kazuhiro Tatsumi, a former professor at Doshisha University who is familiar with the history of the Kofun period, said, "It's obvious that it's a taiko drum, and I'm a little excited. It's a valuable resource. "
Multiple descriptions that seem to be related to "Taiko" in Nihon Shoki
In the ancient history book = "Nihon Shoki", there are multiple descriptions that are thought to be related to taiko, and the character "drum" is used in Chinese characters.
If the word "drum" refers to taiko, the first thing to notice is its involvement with the military.
The description of Emperor Keitai in the first half of the 6th century states that the flags of both armies and drums faced each other at the battlefield when the "Iwai Rebellion" by the Kyushu clan occurred.
Also, in the description of Empress Jingu that preceded it, the scene that warned the soldiers that they could not take command if the sound of the drums and drums and the flag of the army were disturbed was drawn.
Professor Yoshimichi Tsukada of Taisho University, who is familiar with haniwa, said, "This taiko haniwa was excavated together with weapons such as shields and swords. It is possible that it represented the" military instrument "that commands the army. There is. "
On the other hand, Kazuhiro Tatsumi, a former professor at Doshisha University who is familiar with the rituals performed during the funeral procession, pays attention to the fact that a drum haniwa was placed in the burial mound where people are buried.
Mr. Tatsumi said, "Sounding an instrument at the funeral procession, the sound sends out the soul of the dead to the next world and regenerates it. The sound of the drum is in the sense that the sound connects this world and that world. It may have had an important meaning. "