1,500-year-old tomb of Japanese general found
A 1,500-year-old ancient tomb believed to be that of a Japanese general has been discovered in Shibushi, Japan in an intact condition.
The tomb was accidentally found in Shibushi city, one of the three largest islands in Japan, when some workers were making a small road along a farm.
The armor was found next to the stone coffin. (Photo: Shibushi).
In addition to the remains and armor, many burial objects were also found, such as arrows, spears, iron axes, swords, and a decorative pattern attached to the armor. These are believed to be farewell gifts from the Yamato court.
The remains were found intact in a stone coffin. Research has shown that they are the remains of a male general, 167cm tall. In addition, the iron armor found, called Tanko, is still intact in an amazing condition.According to Japanese media, this tomb is one of the largest found in the eastern part of Kagoshima prefecture on Kyushu island.
Entrance to the crypt. (Photo: Flickr).
"This could be a high-ranking court general with close ties to the Yamato court"- said archaeologist Tatsuya Hashimoto, of the Kagoshima University Museum.
Currently, the Japanese government is still counting the number of tombs like this to register as a UNESCO heritage site. This means that archaeologists will not be allowed to dig up these relics.
However, Professor Noboru Toike, of Seijo University in Tokyo, disagrees with this opinion.
"We cannot present our heritage to the world without knowing something about it. So studying the new catacombs is the first necessary thing"- Professor Noboru Toike said.