From the outside, the Tomio Maruyama burial mound in the city of Nara is unimpressive: the fenced-off site littered with tree stumps, weeds and pebbles, and surrounded by modern residential buildings. it certainly doesn’t look like a treasure trove full of items of astonishing historical value.
But in late 2022, a giant iron sword and a bronze mirror dating from the late fourth century were unearthed from the grave site. The news stunned the nation, even the most experienced archaeologists.
The 2.3 meter long roofs sword – so called because of its undulating serpentine shape – is by far the longest sword found in East Asia from the Kofun period (310 to 700), and possibly in the entire world. It is also the oldest of approximately 90 roofs discovered across Japan to date.
