Changes in Weaponry: Warabite Swords
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Sword with a Curled Pommel (Warabite), Found at Kashiwagi Higashi Site (Moizari No. 11 Tumulus), Hokkaido, Satsumon period, 8th century
Japanese Archaeology and Special Exhibition (Heiseikan) Japanese Archaeology Gallery
June 14, 2022 (Tue) - December 11, 2022 (Sun)In the 7th to 8th centuries, iron swords with hilts shaped like fern fronds (called "warabite swords" in Japanese) were disseminated throughout the Japanese archipelago. In eastern Japan, and the northeastern Tōhoku region in particular, these swords have been excavated in great quantities from tumuli and ancient graves. Their use as grave goods shows that burial practices were different from those practiced in the capital in modern-day Nara Prefecture.
| Designation | Name | Creation/ Excavation/ Provenance |
Period | Acquisition/ Ownership/ Accession Number |
CMT | ||
| Highlight | Sword with a Curled Pommel ("Warabite") | Found at Kashiwagi Higashi Site (Moizari No. 11 Tumulus), Hokkaido | Satsumon period, 8th century | J-34274 | |||
| Highlight | Sword with a Curled Pommel ("Warabite") | Found in Yoshinogawa City, Tokushima | Kofun (Asuka)–Nara period, 7th–8th century | J-601 |