Tōdaijiyama Sword

Tōdaijiyama Sword, also known as Tōdaijiyama Kofun Iron Sword in Japan is an ancient iron sword excavated in Tōdaijiyama kofun in Nara Prefecture, Japan. The sword was forged in China in the 2nd century and it's the oldest inscribed iron sword which has been excavated in Japan. Its inscription is an important source of the ancient diplomatic relations between China and Japan and its domestic politics.

Inscription

The original Chinese text is;
In English;

Interpretation

The Zhongping era is one of the Chinese traditional era name used by Emperor Ling of Han, corresponding between 184 and 189. In the Wajinden, a Chinese source describing Japan that is the part of the Records of the Three Kingdoms, the state of Wa had a large civil war in the period. It is assumed that the sword was bestowed by Emperor Ling on a king of Wa, though its detail is unknown. Then the sword was passed to a local ruling family in the region, who constructed the Tōdaijiyama Kofun in the late 4th century.