Archaeologists in Germany have unearthed a rare 17th-century book from the basement of a building destroyed during World War II. Japanese samurai sword.
The heavily rusted short sword, called a wakizashi, was discovered by the team while excavating the Molkenmarkt, Berlin’s oldest square. Archaeologists initially thought the weapon was a parade sword, but further analysis revealed that the sword is actually from Japan’s Edo period (1603-1868).
The weapon’s blade may be even older, possibly dating to the 16th century, according to the translated Berlin Prehistory and Early History in a museum announcement. It may have been brought to Germany in the 19th century. as part of a diplomatic mission, archaeologists said.
“Who would have imagined that at a time when Japan was isolated and European travelers hardly visited the country, such a long-used and richly decorated weapon would end up here in Berlin?” Matthias Wemhoff, Berlin’s state archaeologist and director of the Museum of Prehistory and Early History, said in a statement. .
Archaeologists from the State Monuments Office in Berlin found the sword in 2022. in the winter, excavating the basements of residential and commercial buildings in the Molkenmarkt square, which was reduced to rubble during World War II and redeveloped into streets and intersections in the 1960s.
According to the statement, the basements of the destroyed buildings were full of war-related artifacts that had been discarded at the end of the war. However, the discovery of a Japanese sword in one of the cellars was unexpected.
Now, restoration work has revealed that the weapon was a vakizashi, a sword that “was once used by members of the nobility as a status weapon,” Wemhoff said.
According to the Samurai Museum, historically, the wakizashi was carried by samurai as a backup weapon if they had to fight in a small room or close to a target where it would be difficult to draw a longer sword called a katana. According to the British Museum, samurai wore them all the time.
The wooden handle of the newly found sword was damaged by the heat, but pieces of the wood are still intact, according to the report. Further restoration showed that a 1 cm wide metal ring at the bottom of the handle near the blade depicts Daikoku, one of the seven Japanese gods of luck.
The team also found painted chrysanthemum blossoms and waterline ornaments on the sword’s guard. The style of the weapon indicates that it is from the Edo period.
X-rays showed that the blade had been shortened and the handle was not original.
Since the handle is not original, the blade may be even older than the Edo period, possibly dating back to the 1500s, the museum said in a statement.
It is not known how the sword ended up in Berlin, but Mr. Wemhoff had some ideas.
“Perhaps the sword was used by Japanese ambassadors who visited Europe and the rest of the Western world [XIX a. septintajame ir aštuntajame dešimtmetyje]to make connections and experience, a gift,” he said.
But it is not known how the sword would have ended up with the people who disposed of it in Molkenmarkt during World War II, he said.
Parengta pagal „Live Science“.
2024-08-29 16:21:31