The in

Hashimoto, Wakayama 270px, Hashimoto city center in 2012 aerial photograph is a city located in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 61,063 in 27392 households and a population density of 470 persons per km². The total area of the ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

is a

National Treasure of Japan Some of the National Treasures of Japan A is the most precious of Japan's Tangible Cultural Properties, as determined and designated by the Agency for Cultural Affairs (a special body of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science ...

. It is a bronze mirror cast with 48 Chinese characters around the fifth century. It is an important artifact for the research in Japanese archaeology and

Old Japanese is the oldest attested stage of the Japanese language, recorded in documents from the Nara period (8th century). It became Early Middle Japanese in the succeeding Heian period, but the precise delimitation of the stages is controversial. Old Jap ...

language.

Inscriptions

The mirror says There are a few unclear points, but a tentative translation is "In the eighth month of a ''gui-wei'' year, in the reign of the great king, when the prince Wooto was at the Osisaka Palace, Sima, wishing for longevity, sent two persons to make this mirror from 200 han of brand-new and fine bronze." The year gui-wei likely corresponds to 443 or 503. According to one prevailing opinion, the prince Wooto can be identified as the prince Oohodo, a grandson of

Emperor Ōjin , also known as (alternatively spelled 譽田別命, 誉田別命, 品陀和気命, 譽田分命, 誉田別尊, 品陀別命) or , was the 15th (possibly legendary) Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. No firm da ...

and a brother of Oshisaka-no-Oonakatsuhime ( Emperor Ingyō's consort). Another theory holds that Wooto is Ōdo-no-Ookimi (

Emperor Keitai (died 10 March 531) was the 26th legendary emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 継体天皇 (26)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. No firm dates can be assigned to this emperor's life or reign, but he ...

). He may be a great-grandson (or a younger brother) of the prince Oohodo. If the gui-wei year corresponds to 503, Shima is presumed

King Muryeong of Baekje Muryeong of Baekje (462–523, r. 501–23) was the 25th king of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. During his reign, Baekje remained allied with Silla against Goguryeo, and expanded its relationships with China and Japan. Background ...

. On the basis of this ancient inscription, Korean scholar Kim Woon-Hoe theorizes a fraternal relationship between Emperor Keitai of Japan and

.야마토 왕조의 중시조, 게이타이천황은 무령왕의 아우
''Pressian'' (Seoul). December 5, 2008. A mirror was excavated from the tomb of King Muryeong. It is similar to the mirrors of

Emperor Nintoku , also known as was the 16th Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Due to his reputation for goodness derived from depictions in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, he is sometimes referred to as the . While his existenc ...

and

. In the ancient Buyeo kingdom, the bronze mirror represented the king.

Notes

References

* National Treasures of Japan Baekje Old Japanese texts Bronze mirrors {{Japan-art-stub

Inscriptions

See also

Notes

References