Gilt Bronze Epitaph of Ono no Emishi

The Epitaph of the Son of Ono no Imoko

The Gilt Bronze Epitaph of Ono no Emishi (金銅小野毛人墓誌) is a Nara-period gilt bronze epitaph excavated at Kamitakano, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto, now at the Kyoto National Museum in Chayamachi, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto City, which in 1961 was designated a National Treasure.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs records one plate, first designated under the old system in 1914.

The Kyoto National Museum gives its size as 58.9 by 5.8 centimetres and its owner as Sudo Shrine in Kyoto.

The Inscription

According to the museum, in 1613 an old tomb was dug up at what is now Kamitakano in Sakyo Ward, and a single tablet was found in its stone chamber; this was the epitaph of Ono no Emishi. It was returned to the tomb, but after being stolen in the Meiji period it was removed for safekeeping in 1914.

The epitaph is cast bronze, gilded after the characters were engraved. The inscription runs on both faces; the front records that Emishi served in the reign of Emperor Tenmu as a counsellor, a rank equivalent to the later Minister of Justice at the senior fourth rank.

What to Look For

The museum notes that Emishi was the son of Ono no Imoko, famous as envoy to the Sui court, but nothing more is known of him than the epitaph records. The Agency's record gives the date 677, but the museum states that the epitaph itself was made in the Nara period.

Notice the inscription on both faces and the gilding applied after engraving.

Visiting the Gilt Bronze Epitaph of Ono no Emishi

The epitaph is at the Kyoto National Museum and is not always on display; check the museum's schedule.