1,600-Year Old Demon-Slaying Mega Sword Unearthed in Japan [View all]
BY JESS THOMSON ON 3/10/23 AT 12:26 PM EST
Amassive seven-foot-long iron sword has been found in a burial mound alongside other archaeological treasures from hundreds of years ago.
The huge sword, known as a dakō sword, was found in the city of Nara in Japan last November. It had a wavy, snake-like shape, and is thought to have been meant to be used to protect the dead from evil spirits.
The sword was buried along with a two-foot-wide, one-foot-tall shield-shaped mirror weighing 124 pounds, thought to be a daryu mirror, which were also used to ward away evil spirits. The combination of these items may indicate that the individual they were alongside was important in military and ritualistic matters, Nara University archaeology professor Naohiro Toyoshima told Japanese Kyodo News.
"[These swords] are prestigious objects of high society," archaeologist and ancient Japanese sword expert Stefan Maeder told LiveScience.
More:
https://www.newsweek.com/huge-sword-japan-fight-evil-spirits-archaeology-1787008
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