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Yayoi bronze mirrors

Type Object Region Japan Time c. 1–500

Yayoi bronze mirrors were imported from the Korean Peninsula and mainland China from Japan's Yayoi into the early Kofun period, serving ritual, decor…

Timeline

  1. c. 1–150Northern Kyushu · JapanIn the 1st to 2nd centuries CE, Han mirrors and Han-style copies reached Japan through the Tsushima Strait and the Korean Peninsula, appearing mostly in Yayoi settlement sites in northern Kyushu, where mirrors became important objects of elite power and ritual.
  2. c. 150–350Yamato · Nara PrefectureFrom the 2nd to 4th centuries CE, triangular-rimmed deity-and-beast mirrors were unearthed in large numbers in the Kinai region; some inscriptions contain Han-style marks such as 'Shangfang' and 'Qinggai,' and scholars debate their place of manufacture, reflecting the monopolistic use of mirrors by kingship and elites.
  3. c. 350–500Mozu Kofun Group · Osaka PrefectureIn the 4th to 5th centuries CE, the number of mirrors buried in kofun tombs surged; large kofun often yielded dozens or even hundreds of mirrors, as mirrors shifted from practical objects to core burial goods symbolizing funerary ritual and power.

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