The iron or was excavated at the Inariyama Kofun

Inariyama Kofun

The is a keyhole-shaped kofun , zenpō-kōen-fun, located in Gyōda, Saitama. It is one of the nine kofun clustered in the city. To avoid confusion, it is occasionally called the Saitama Inariyama Kofun, for kofun with the same name are found in other regions....

 in 1968. Inariyama Kofun is located in Saitama Prefecture

Saitama Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Saitama.This prefecture is part of the Greater Tokyo Area, and most of Saitama's cities can be described as suburbs of Tokyo, to which a large amount of residents commute each day.- History...

. In 1978, X-ray

X-ray

X-radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation. X-rays have a wavelength in the range of 0.01 to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 petahertz to 30 exahertz and energies in the range 120 eV to 120 keV. They are shorter in wavelength than UV rays and longer than gamma...

 analysis revealed a gold-inlaid inscription that comprises more than 115 Chinese characters. This sword was described as the discovery of the century for the study of ancient-Japanese history. The sword is designated a national treasure of Japan

National treasures of Japan

National Treasures are the most precious of Japan's Tangible Cultural Properties, as determined and designated by the Agency for Cultural Affairs...

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Inscription

The original inscription and translation is as follows.
Front:
Reverse:

Interpretation

The buried person of the tomb, named Wowake, was an influential warrior in the region. The king, Wakatakeru, is estimated as the same person as Ōhatsusewakatakerunomikoto in Nihon Shoki

Nihon Shoki

The , sometimes translated as The Chronicles of Japan, is the second oldest book of classical Japanese history. It is more elaborate and detailed than the Kojiki, the oldest, and has proven to be an important tool for historians and archaeologists as it includes the most complete extant historical...

, an alias of Emperor Yūryaku

Emperor Yuryaku

was the 21st emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Yūryaku is remembered as a patron of sericulture.No firm dates can be assigned to this emperor's life or reign, but he is conventionally considered to have reigned from 456–479....

. His name is also mentioned in another inscribed sword, Eta Funayama Sword

Eta Funayama Sword

in Japan is a 5th century ancient iron sword excavated from the Eta Funayama kofun in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan in 1873. The inscription on the blade shows the era of Emperor Yūryaku in the 5th century...

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External links

• Picture of the sword,