At the Yoshinogari site in Saga Prefecture, three artifacts believed to be among the oldest in Japan, including a mold used to manufacture bronze ware in the middle of the Yayoi period, were found.
Since last year, excavations have been carried out at the Yoshinogari site in Saga Prefecture in a so-called "mysterious area" that had been untouched until now, and in the spring of this year, a stone tomb and sarcophagus tomb believed to belong to an influential person in the late Yayoi period were excavated.
At a press conference on the 4th, the prefecture announced that from September to October, from this area, all of which are believed to be
related to the manufacture of bronze vessels, ▽ stone casts used for casting swords and spears,
stone casts
for casting swords,
andThree new pieces of
earthenware containing bronze melted at high temperatures have been discovered.
All of them are from the middle of the Yayoi period and are considered to be the oldest in Japan.
Of these, the molds used for casting swords and spears were made of "serpentine" used for casting in the Korean Peninsula, which was an advanced area for bronze casting at the time, and this is the first time that a mold made of this material has been found at the Yoshinogari site.
Yoshinori Shirakihara, director of the Saga Prefectural Cultural Properties Protection and Utilization Office, said, "As befits a 'mystery area,' various things came out, and it was once again recognized that the Yoshinogari ruins incorporated bronze casting technology, which was the most advanced technology at the time."