Uncovered Secrets: Rare Artifacts Emerge from Emperor Nintoku’s 5th-Century Tomb, Shattering Historical Mysteries
That same year, a number of items were unearthed near the tomb, documented in drawings, and then supposedly reburied. As it would turn out, however, not all of the artifacts were returned to the earth.
In June, the Kokugakuin University Museum announced that they had received artifacts from an art dealer a year prior — artifacts which the dealer claimed came from Nintoku’s tomb. Now, after a year of analysis, the museum has confirmed this to be true, and for the first time ever, the public can see genuine artifacts from the fifth-century burial mound.
Kaichiro Kashiwagi’s Seal Confirms The Objects Came From The Tomb
Until now, there was no physical evidence of what the excavations in 1872 found in the ancient burial mound. The only record consisted of drawings created by Kaichiro Kashiwagi, who investigated the tomb and documented the discoveries within.
Kashiwagi’s illustrations featured objects such as armor, helmets, glassware, and swords, but it now seems that he kept some of the grave goods for himself.
Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and TourismAn aerial view of the burial mound that houses the tomb of Emperor Nintoku.
When Kokugakuin University Museum purchased a collection from an art dealer last year with objects supposedly taken from the burial mound, one key piece of evidence stood out: The artifacts were wrapped in paper stamped with the seal of none other than Kashiwagi himself.
“The discovery of physical artifacts, not just illustrations, holds immense historical value and could open the door to further investigation of the site,” Masashi Tokuda, a visiting archaeology professor at Kansai University and former official of the Imperial Household Agency, told The Asahi Shimbun.
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