2.3-meter sword found in 4th-century tomb in Japan

[fernando]

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

...The case for the serpentine blade seems to have been employed in other 'dramatic' blades which seem to have symbolic value in a number of sword blades in both Japan and China in these ancient times...

"The sword, which is around 2.3 metres in length has a slightly bent blade like a snake, a typical example of a “dakoken” sword related to the worship of the snake god. The sword is the largest discovered intact in Japan, with experts suggesting that it had a ceremonial purpose to ward off evil.
The archaeologists are yet to open the wooden coffin, but believe that its contents remain intact as there is no evidence of grave robbing. The team plan to study the coffin’s contents at a later date, with the sword and mirror currently undergoing restoration.
Seigo Wada, Director of the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Archaeology, told Asia & Japan Watch “I wonder about the status of the person buried with the objects, as the individual was interred with a very unusual sword and mirror. There is a high expectation for the study of the contents of the coffin.”


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