An X-ray analysis of the walls of the stone chamber covered with mud at the Kitora Tumulus in Asuka Village, Nara Prefecture, revealed that three murals were painted, including a statue in the shape of a snake believed to be the "snake" of the 3 zodiac signs. The snake statue can be seen almost all over its body, including its costume and the tip of its tongue split in two.
This was revealed at a review meeting of the Agency for Cultural Affairs held in Tokyo on the 23rd.
The Kitora Kofun in Asuka Village, Nara Prefecture, is a circular burial mound from the Asuka period from the end of the 7th century to the beginning of the 8th century, and the mural paintings such as "Suzaku" and "Genbu", guardian deities of the direction depicted inside the stone chamber, are designated as national treasures.
Of these, six murals depicting the 6 zodiac signs in the shape of a person have been confirmed so far, but this time, when the Agency for Cultural Affairs analyzed the part covered with mud using fluorescent X-rays, reactions of mercury and copper, which are thought to be components of pigments, were detected in the places corresponding to the "Dragon" and "Snake" of the "2 zodiac" and the "Shin".
When visualized based on the data, we were able to see almost the entire body of the statue, which appears to be a "snake," including a figure dressed in a costume and a tongue extending from the face part split in two.
At the study meeting, the committee members commented that the results were surprising and that investigations should be conducted in other areas covered in mud in the future.
Seigo Wada, chair of the study group, said, "It is a big step forward that we have been able to understand what cannot be seen in the mud through extremely detailed analysis, and what we want to see most is the image at the time when it was drawn, so I would like you to proceed with the analysis so that it is as close as possible to the whole picture."
Commenting on this achievement, Associate Professor Ryusuke Masuki of the University of Tokyo, who is an expert on ancient murals, said, "I think we have been able to grasp the shape of what is under the mud so well, and this is an important result for thinking about what the murals of the Kitora Kofun are."
Kitora Tumulus and Zodiac Statue
The Kitora Kofun in Asuka Village, Nara Prefecture, is a circular burial mound that is said to have been built during the Asuka period from the end of the 7th century to the beginning of the 8th century.
During a survey 40 years ago, it was found that a richly colored mural painting was painted inside the stone chamber, and it attracted attention as the second major discovery in Japan, following the Takamatsuzuka Kofun in Asuka Village.
After that, two surveys were carried out, and we found the oldest astronomical map in East Asia, guardian deities of directions such as Suzaku and Genbu, and statues of the 2 zodiac signs with animal heads and human bodies.
Of these, six of the 6 zodiac signs have been confirmed with the naked eye, including the tiger painted on the east wall, the meridian on the south wall, the dog on the west wall, and the pig, child, and ox on the north wall.
Of the remaining six figures, three of them, the east "Rabbit", the south "Mi", and the west "Rooster", have peeled off the plaster where they are thought to have been drawn, and it is believed that they have already been lost.
On the other hand, in the place where the "Dragon" in the east, the "Snake" in the south, and the "Shin" in the west were depicted, the plaster was covered with mud, so the Agency for Cultural Affairs and others peeled off this part and preserved it, and continued to investigate by scientific methods to see if any murals remained.
How did you discover the mural under the mud?
The plaster that was investigated was very thin, only a few millimeters thick, and it was thought that it would be difficult to remove mud to see if there was a mural.
For this reason, a technique called "fluorescent X-ray analysis" was used in the survey.
It is irradiated with X-rays that detect specific elements and the reaction is measured, and without touching the plaster, it is possible to check whether the minerals used in the pigments of the murals are contained and their types.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs has been using this technology for the past three years to investigate mud-covered plaster, and detected reactions such as mercury, which are thought to be components of pigments, from places where the statues of the 3 zodiac signs "Dragon," "Snake," and "Shin" are believed to be depicted.
Furthermore, in order to clarify the whole picture, fluorescent X-rays were irradiated at intervals of about 0.3 mm around the part where the reaction occurred, and when visualized based on the data, the outline of the image that seems to be the <> zodiac signs emerged.
Masahide Inuzuka, director of the National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Tokyo, who was in charge of the analysis, said, "All the members who conducted the survey were surprised because it was clearly projected.
The existence of a mural that is believed to be the 1th zodiac sign has been discovered, but the Agency for Cultural Affairs has said that further investigation is difficult at this stage, and will consider how to make it public in the future.
Expert "It is likely that the colors were painted differently for each direction"
The three murals identified in the study, believed to be zodiac signs, showed different types of pigment reactions, and experts familiar with the history of ancient painting point out that it is more likely that the murals were painted differently in different directions of the stone chamber.
It is highly likely that the murals of the Chinese zodiac signs and other signs that have been confirmed in the stone chamber of the Kitora Tumulus were painted in different colors, such as "blue" in the east, "white" in the west, "red" in the south, and "black" in the north, against the background of ancient Chinese thought.
In this survey, the area corresponding to the "snake" of the south wall mainly reacted with mercury, which is a component of the red pigment.
In addition, from the place corresponding to the "dragon" on the east wall, the reaction of copper contained mainly in blue-green pigments was emitted.
Based on these analyses, experts suggest that it is more likely that the Kitora Tumulus painted the murals differently on each of the four walls of the stone chamber.
Associate Professor Ryusuke Masuki of the University of Tokyo's Graduate School, who is familiar with the history of ancient painting, says, "I think it reflects the basic rule of expressing the worldview of this era as an image.
Experts are expecting that other murals will be investigated.
In response to the results of this survey, experts are expecting that the investigation of other murals of the Kitora Tumulus, which has been removed from the stone chamber and preserved, will proceed.
In the stone chamber of the Kitora Tumulus, the zodiac signs and guardian deities of directions are depicted, but there are plasters that have been preserved covered with mud in addition to the ones that were the subject of this survey.
Of these, the "blue dragon", the guardian god of the direction depicted on the east wall, has a wide open mouth, a red tongue, and some of the protruding paws, but most of it is covered in mud and the outline of the body is not clearly known.
The restoration map currently published is based on the mural painting of the Takamatsuzuka Kofun that also depicts the "blue dragon".
In response to the results of this survey, members of the Agency for Cultural Affairs' study committee, which consists of experts and others, expressed their hope that the "X-ray fluorescence analysis" will lead to the elucidation of the overall picture of the blue dragon mural.
Seigo Wada, chair of the study group, said, "The challenge was how to make things invisible with mud visible, and what I want to see most is the image at the time it was drawn, so I would like you to proceed with the analysis to get as close as possible to the whole picture."