Swords found to be treasures

The Yomiuri Shimbun

NARA--Two ancient swords that were found under the Great Buddha statue at Todaiji temple in Nara about a century ago have been confirmed as treasures that had been missing for about 1,250 years.

An X-ray analysis confirmed the swords, which have been designated as national treasures, were offered to the statue more than 12 centuries ago, but went missing shortly afterward.

According to the Gangoji Institute for Research of Cultural Property and the temple, the swords, called Kingin So no Tachi (long sword decorated with gold and silver), are actually Yo no Hoken and In no Hoken, which should have been stored at the Shoso-in repository with many other priceless treasures.

The swords were treasured by Emperor Shomu (701-756) and dedicated to the statue after his death by Empress Komyo (701-760). They were stored in the Shoso-in at first but taken out a few years later, and their whereabouts had been a mystery ever since.

The swords, whose blades are about 80 centimeters long, were among items found buried under the pedestal of the Great Buddha statue.

Such pieces, usually including gold, silver and crystal in addition to swords, were often buried before halls and towers of temples were constructed, to soothe local deities and pray for the buildings' safety.

Similar pieces were found at a tower of Asukadera temple in Asukamura, Nara Prefecture, which was built in the late sixth century, and the Chukondo hall at Kofukuji temple in Nara, which was built in the early eighth century.

Nineteen pieces were found in 1907-08 under the pedestal near the Todaiji statue's right knee. They include six large swords decorated with gold and silver and a small silver jar.

The institute's Center for Conservation Science X-rayed the swords and discovered inlaid inscriptions, which read Yo no Ken and In no Ken, near the bottom of the blades.

The blades' length and sharkskin hilts are identical to descriptions of the Yo no Hoken and In no Hoken swords recorded in Kokka Chinpo Cho, a list of Shoso-in treasures.

Kokka Chinpo Cho registered items that were treasured by the emperor and dedicated to the statue by the empress in 756.

Yo no Hoken and In no Hoken are named at the top of 100 large swords on the list, indicating they were very important.

They likely were meant to portray the positive and negative principles of Chinese philosophy to wish for the harmonious existence of all things in the universe.

These swords are among seven items on the list that had been tagged as being taken out from the repository in December 759, about half a year before the empress died.

The swords are the first of these seven items to have been located.

"I suppose Empress Komyo, near the end of her life, had the swords placed under the statue in the hope that [deceased] Emperor Shomu and the power of the Great Buddha would help preserve peace," said Kazuki Sugimoto, director of the Office of the Shosoin Treasure House, Imperial Household. "Parts of a suit of armor and a crystal ball were with the swords. They also could be items taken from the Shoso-in."

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2 other swords to be examined

As indications grow that other items found under the statue may include other Shoso-in treasures, Todaiji will X-ray two other long swords found among the pieces.

The swords, both called Kin Den So no Tachi, are elaborately decorated and made from expensive materials--similar to long swords kept in the Shoso-in.

The two swords, 84.5 centimeters and 64.8 centimeters long, are on display with nine others at "Todaiji Temple and Monuments of Tenpyo Culture" exhibition being held at the Tokyo National Museum until Dec. 12.

The swords' sheaths are adorned with openwork, gold, sardonyx and crystals. These features resemble Kingin Denso no Karatachi, a sword among Shoso-in treasures.

"[The swords] were prime pieces of their day," said Shinji Ito, senior manager of the museum's Education Programming. "They might've been treasures taken out from the Shoso-in."