Artifacts from Ama-Miyayama Kofun: Treasures from the Age of Queen Himiko

Nestled on a hillside overlooking the vast Osaka Plain, the Ama-Miyayama Kofun in Takatsuki City yielded one of the most remarkable archaeological discoveries in modern Japanese history. Excavated in 1997, this modest rectangular burial mound produced a stunning collection of artifacts that has reshaped our understanding of early Japan's connections with continental Asia—and may hold a direct link to the legendary Queen Himiko of the Yamatai kingdom.

Designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan in 2000, the collection known as "Artifacts from Ama-Miyayama Kofun, Osaka Prefecture" includes five bronze mirrors, nine iron implements, and over 1,600 sky-blue glass beads. Among these treasures, one mirror bears the inscription "Seiryu 3"—corresponding to the year 235 AD in the Wei dynasty calendar—making it the oldest dated bronze mirror ever found on the Japanese archipelago.

The Discovery: A Window into the Third Century

The Ama-Miyayama Kofun sits at an elevation of 125 meters on a narrow ridge halfway up Mount Ama, within the Takatsuki Municipal Cemetery. The burial mound is rectangular in shape, measuring approximately 18 meters east to west and 21 meters north to south—a form characteristic of the transitional period between the Yayoi and Kofun eras.

During a summer 1997 excavation survey conducted ahead of cemetery expansion, archaeologists uncovered a pit grave containing a split-bamboo-shaped wooden coffin made of Japanese umbrella pine (koyamaki). The interior of the grave was painted with red vermillion pigment, and the coffin held an extraordinary array of grave goods arranged around the head and upper body of the deceased.

The artifacts discovered included five bronze mirrors of different types, iron tools such as swords, axes, chisels, and sickles, and a breathtaking quantity of small glass beads numbering over 1,600 pieces. Remarkably, traces of hemp cloth used to wrap the mirrors were also preserved, providing rare insight into ancient funerary practices.

The Five Bronze Mirrors: A Catalogue of Continental Craftsmanship

The five bronze mirrors represent the crown jewels of this collection and have attracted intense scholarly attention. Each mirror is of a distinct type, reflecting the diversity of mirror production in Wei dynasty China and early Kofun-period Japan:

• "Seiryu 3" Inscribed Hokaku-Kiku Shijin Mirror (方格規矩四神鏡): This is the most celebrated piece. It features a square-patterned design with four divine creatures and bears a 39-character inscription including the date "Seiryu 3" (235 AD). This is currently the oldest precisely dated bronze mirror excavated in Japan.
• Triangular-Rimmed Beast-Banded Four-Deities-Four-Beasts Mirror (三角縁獣文帯四神四獣鏡): A mirror with inscribed characters reading "Heaven, King, Sun, Moon, Auspicious." This type of triangular-rimmed mirror is strongly associated with the Wei dynasty's diplomatic gifts.
• "Gosaku" Inscribed Slant-Rimmed Two-Deities-Two-Beasts Mirror (「吾作」銘斜縁二神二獣鏡): Bears the maker's mark "Gosaku" (literally "I made this"), indicating a specific workshop tradition.
• "Gosaku" Inscribed Triangular-Rimmed Ring-Nippled Four-Deities-Four-Beasts Mirror (「吾作」銘三角縁環状乳四神四獣鏡): Another mirror from the "Gosaku" workshop tradition, with a distinctive triangular rim profile.
• "Chinze-saku" Inscribed Flat-Rimmed Same-Direction Deity-Beast Mirror (「陳是作」銘平縁同向式神獣鏡): Bearing the artisan name "Chinze," this mirror represents yet another production lineage.

When first uncovered, the mirrors still gleamed with a silvery-white bronze luster, and traces of the hemp cloth wrappings were visible—an exceptionally rare state of preservation for artifacts nearly 1,800 years old.

Why These Artifacts Are Nationally Significant

The designation of these artifacts as an Important Cultural Property reflects their extraordinary value from multiple perspectives. First, the "Seiryu 3" mirror provides a concrete, dated connection between the Japanese archipelago and the Wei dynasty of China. The year 235 AD falls just four years before Queen Himiko of the Yamatai kingdom sent her famous embassy to the Wei court in 239 AD—an event recorded in the "Wei Zhi" (Records of Wei), the oldest Chinese chronicle to describe Japan in detail.

According to this chronicle, the Wei emperor bestowed upon Himiko "one hundred bronze mirrors" as a diplomatic gift. The presence of Wei-era mirrors, including triangular-rimmed deity-and-beast mirrors in this tomb, has led many scholars to suggest that some of these five mirrors may indeed be part of that legendary gift. While this remains debated, the possibility adds profound historical significance to the collection.

Second, the assemblage as a whole—mirrors, iron tools, and glass beads together—provides a remarkably complete picture of elite burial customs during the critical transition from the Yayoi period to the Kofun period. The combination of Wei-made mirrors with triangular-rimmed mirrors (which do not appear in typical Yayoi-period burials) places this tomb at the very dawn of Japan's ancient tumulus culture.

Third, the burial's location overlooking the Ama settlement—a major Yayoi-period moated village below—suggests the deceased was likely a powerful leader of this community who maintained direct ties with the emerging Yamato political order and, through it, with the Chinese continent.

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