Copying from Chinese Mirrors: Bronze Mirrors with TLV Patterns
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Mirror with a TLV Pattern and Beasts
Found at the Samita Takarazuka Tumulus, Nara, Kofun period, 4th–5th century (Important Cultural Property)Japanese Archaeology and Special Exhibition (Heiseikan) Japanese Archaeology Gallery
July 8, 2025 (Tue) - February 1, 2026 (Sun)During the early Kofun period (ca. 3rd–7th century), the Japanese archipelago saw the production of many mirrors that were modeled after Chinese mirrors. One of the most common types featured a design of Chinese cosmology with four deities. This section of the gallery introduces a few examples of this particular type of mirrors from the early Kofun period, as well as a Chinese mirror, which would have served as a model from which Japanese equivalents were copied.
| Designation | Name | Creation/ Excavation/ Provenance |
Period | Acquisition/ Ownership/ Accession Number |
CMT | ||
| Highlight | Important Cultural Property | Mirror with a TLV Pattern and Beasts | Found at the Samita Takarazuka Tumulus, Nara | Kofun period, 4th–5th century | J-177 | ||
| Highlight | Mirror with a TLV Pattern and Beasts | Found at the Tsuruyama Maruyama Tumulus, Okayama | Kofun period, 4th–5th century | J-33963 |