The King of Na gold seal (Japanese:
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/af/King_of_Na_gold_seal.jpg/250px-King_of_Na_gold_seal.jpg)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c1/King_of_Na_gold_seal_knob_top.png/250px-King_of_Na_gold_seal_knob_top.png)
Appearance
editThe seal is composed of gold of 95% purity.[4] It is made up of a square base, with the seal itself on the bottom face, and a handle on top of the base in the shape of a coiled serpent. It has a mass of 108.729 grams (3.8353 oz). The total height from base to handle is 2.236 centimetres (0.880 in). The base of the seal averages 2.347 centimetres (0.924 in) on a side. This dimension roughly corresponds to the traditional Chinese standard unit of length of one cun, as used in the Later Han dynasty (about 2.304 centimetres [0.907 in]).[5]
Characters engraved on the seal
editThe five characters engraved on the seal are (in the order in which they are to be read):
漢 委 奴 國王
The meanings of these characters (in the context of this seal) are: "Han" (referring to the Han dynasty of China), "Wa" (an ancient name for Japan), "Na" (an ancient kingdom / state within Japan), "state / country", and "ruler." Altogether, the meaning of the seal inscription is: "(seal of) the King of the Na state of the Wa [vassal?] of the Han dynasty".
The character
History
editThe seal has been judged to be the one described in the Book of the Later Han, a Chinese chronicle of the history of the Eastern Han dynasty. According to the chronicle, the Chinese Emperor Guangwu conferred the seal on a diplomatic official visiting from Japan.
Contemporary description of conferral
editThe following is the original Chinese text from the chronicle:
建 武 中元 二 年 ,倭 奴 國 奉 貢 朝賀 ,使 人 自稱 大夫 ,倭國 之 極 南 界 也。光武 賜 以印綬 。[7]
This passage can be translated into English as:
- "In the 2nd year of the jianwu zhongyuan reign period [AD 57], the Na state of Wa sent an envoy with tribute. The envoy introduced himself as a high official. The state lies in the far south of Wa. [Emperor] Guangwu bestowed on him a seal with a tassel."[3][8]
During the Han dynasty, similar seals were bestowed on other regional sovereigns, in an attempt by the dynasty to bring these sovereigns into the Han ruling order.[3]
Rediscovery
editAfter being lost for an undetermined period of time, the seal was reportedly rediscovered on April 12, 1784, on Shika Island in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. According to contemporary reports, the seal was discovered by a farmer named Jinbei while repairing an irrigation ditch. It was found surrounded by stones forming a box-like structure around it. The stone above the seal required two adults to lift. After rediscovery, the seal was kept by the Kuroda clan, rulers of the Fukuoka Domain, and eventually donated by the Kuroda family to the city of Fukuoka in 1978.[3]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ National Treasures of Japan – Exhibition catalogue, April 10 - May 27, 1990, Tokyo National Museum (in Japanese). Yomiuri Shimbun. 1990.
- ^ Miyake, Yonekichi (December 1892), "
漢 委 奴 國王 印 考 (A study of the seal [inscribed] to the King of the state of Na in Wa under the Han dynasty)", Shigaku Zasshi, 3 (37): 874–81 - ^ a b c d "The Permanent Exhibitions of the Fukuoka City Museum". Fukuoka City Museum. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
- ^ "The Gold Seal, "Kan no Wa no Na no Kokuo"". Fukuoka Art Museum. Retrieved 2011-12-24.
- ^ "
金 印 " [Gold Seal] (in Japanese). Fukuoka Prefectural Shakaikyouiku Sougou Center. Retrieved 2011-12-24. - ^
黃 當時 (2011). "金 印 「漢 委 奴 国王 」 の読 みと意味 について" (PDF).中国 言語 文化 研究 (11).佛教大学 中国 言語 文化 研究 会 . Retrieved 2023-09-18. - ^ "
後 漢書 ·東夷 列傳 第 七 十 五 " [Houhanshu Part 75] (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2010-03-31. Retrieved 2011-12-24. - ^ Tsunoda, Ryusaku (1951). Goodrich, L. Carrington (ed.). Japan in the Chinese Dynastic Histories: Later Han Through Ming Dynasties. Perkins Asiatic monographs. South Pasadena, CA: P.D. and Ione Perkins. p. 187.