
Knife, armor from Japan's largest ancient keyhole-shaped tomb found
OSAKA (Kyodo) -- A gold-plated iron knife and armor fragments, believed to have been made with advanced 5th-century techniques, have been confirmed as coming from Japan's largest ancient keyhole-shaped tomb mound, a university said Thursday.
The Daisen Kofun in Osaka Prefecture is under control of the Imperial Household Agency as the mausoleum of Emperor Nintoku, who is said to have reigned in the 4th century, but academic debate continues about who was actually buried there.
The artifacts, wrapped in paper labeled "Emperor Nintoku's tomb," were recently acquired by Tokyo-based Kokugakuin University from an art dealer. They had previously been held by a collector who joined a survey of the tomb in 1872.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Japan Times
a day ago
- Japan Times
How to bring back the mojo in ‘old old old rice'
You'd have noticed in your local supermarket or heard from the news that rice prices have nearly doubled year-on-year. To combat this, the government is releasing bichikumai or stockpiled rice to select retail outlets across the country . By law, rice that is produced between Nov. 1 of the previous year and Oct. 31 of the current year is known as shinmai (new rice), while rice that was produced the year before is komai — the kanji character for "ko" means 'old' while "mai" means 'rice'; bichikumai is also generally known as komai. Each older batch of rice is simply tagged with an additional 'ko' to its name, for example, kokomai (old old rice). Kokokomai (old old old rice) or the 2021 crop, along with older rice, is now available on the market, a rare offering that has prompted concerns over its quality from some locals. When cooked, Japanese rice is prized for its moistness, slight stickiness and a subtle sweetness — qualities that shinmai has in abundance. But the older the rice gets, the drier it becomes, losing a little of its sweetness and umami. Stay updated on Japan's rice crisis. Quality journalism is more crucial than ever. Help us get the story right. For a limited time, we're offering a discounted subscription plan. Unlimited access US$30 US$18 /mo FOREVER subscribe NOW Is kokokomai bad? Whether you'll discern a difference or not depends on your palate — and how the rice is cooked. You'll notice it as plain rice, but, just to give two examples, if it is served as takikomi gohan (rice mixed and cooked with other ingredients), or sprinkled with furikake (Japanese seasoning of sesame seeds, seaweed and dried fish), chances are you won't find much of a difference. You can also offset the loss of moisture by adding more water or other liquids when you cook the rice. Adding a little sake to it may also improve its taste, while a little oil will make the grains shiny like shinmai. Some dishes like fried rice require rice that's drier than shinmai, in which case kokokomai may actually be more suitable. For my takikomi gohan recipe below, I give it a boost of umami by adding shirodashi (concentrated dashi base) and cooking it in a pot to produce delicious okoge (burnt or browned bits). Adding more water to "kokokomai" (old old old rice) will help offset some of its lost moisture. | GETTY IMAGES Serves 4 Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes (does not include rice-soaking time) Ingredients: 400 grams kokokomai 6 thin asparagus shoots 150 grams boneless skinless chicken thigh 600 milliliters water 2 tablespoons shirodashi 1 tablespoon light soy sauce 2 tablespoons sake Salted butter to taste Coarsely ground black pepper to taste Directions: 1. Measure the rice and rinse it in four to five rounds of water. Then soak the grains in water for 30 minutes to an hour. 2. While the rice is soaking, cut the asparagus into 2-centimeter-long pieces, and cut the chicken into bite-size pieces. 3. Transfer the drained and soaked rice to a heavy cooking pot and add 600 milliliters of water, shirodashi, soy sauce, sake, asparagus and chicken. Start cooking the rice over high heat until the liquid comes to a boil. Put on a tight-fitting lid, turn the heat down to low and cook for another 13 minutes. 4. Raise the heat to high and cook until you hear crackling sounds from the pot. Turn off the heat and let the rice steam for 15 to 20 minutes. 5. Fluff up the rice to distribute the asparagus and chicken evenly. Serve the rice topped with coarsely ground black pepper and a pat of butter.


NHK
2 days ago
- NHK
Japan govt. panel drafts first change to 'romaji' rules in about 70 years
A Japanese government panel has made a draft recommendation to change the method for expressing Japanese words in the Roman alphabet, which has not been updated in about 70 years. The country has two romanization, or "romaji," systems -- the Kunrei and Hepburn. The Cabinet designated Kunrei as standard in 1954. For example, Kunrei uses "ti" for the Japanese syllable while Hepburn expresses it as "chi," which is closer to the English pronunciation. Kunrei has been adopted in school education and other fields, but many people are actually more familiar with Hepburn. The government has been pushing for discussions on the matter at a Cultural Affairs Agency panel after sensing it was time to consider better use of the romaji styles in line with changing times. The draft said that the Kunrei method has not clearly taken hold with the general public. It recommended switching to one which is based on the more widely used Hepburn system. The panel plans to complete its recommendation by around this autumn. The change is expected to be expressed as a Cabinet promulgation during the current fiscal year.


Asahi Shimbun
2 days ago
- Asahi Shimbun
Artifacts linked to largest imperial tomb discovered
A knife believed to be from the Daisen burial mound in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, the largest ancient tomb in Japan (Kazushige Kobayashi) SAKAI, Osaka Prefecture—In a potentially groundbreaking discovery, a recovered knife and armor fragments have been identified as burial items taken from Japan's largest ancient tomb here—making them the only physical artifacts currently available from that site. The artifacts were obtained by the Kokugakuin University Museum from an art dealer a year ago, the museum announced on June 19. These items are thought to have been taken from the Daisen 'kofun' burial mound during an excavation in the late 19th century, and may have been hidden away in private collections since. Records from the time indicate that a number of items—including armor, helmets, glassware and swords—were unearthed from the site, documented via illustration and then reburied. Until now, no physical burial artifacts from the UNESCO World Heritage site have been accessible, only the illustrated records. 'The discovery of physical artifacts, not just illustrations, holds immense historical value and could open the door to further investigation of the site,' said Masashi Tokuda, a visiting professor of archaeology at Kansai University and a former official of the Imperial Household Agency. The small knife measures 10.5 centimeters and is broken in two. It is encased in a wooden sheath adorned with a gold-plated copper fitting. The elaborate design is unlike any other findings, domestic or foreign, from the fifth century, when the massive keyhole-shaped tomb was built. Other recovered items include fragments of armor constructed from iron overlaid with gilt bronze plates. The artifacts were wrapped in paper stamped with the seal of Kaichiro Kashiwagi, the illustrator who documented the original 1872 excavation. The recently discovered knife does not appear in any known drawings by Kashiwagi, suggesting that he may have privately retained some of the excavated items. The moated wooden burial mound has traditionally been attributed to Emperor Nintoku. Despite its prominence and potential historical significance, access to the site has been restricted by the Imperial Household Agency. Although some items believed to have originated from the tomb are held by the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, recent studies suggest those may be misdated or not directly linked to the tomb. The newly identified artifacts will be on public display at the Sakai City Museum from July 19 to Sept. 7.