Sumida Hachiman People Mirror - Sumida Hachiman People Mirror

This 19.8cm diameter imitation mirror has long been in the possession of Sumida Hachiman Shrine in Hashimoto City, Wakayama Prefecture. It is a national treasure. The inner section imitates a Chinese portrait mirror, and the outer section has a 48-character inscription that reads, "On August 1, 1899, the Tenth King and his younger brother, who was in the Chaisaka Palace at the time, remembered the longevity of the king, sent to open the palace to pay dues and to punish the two impure people, Imasu Ri, and others, who reported the same 200 droughts, and this was the end." Since Takahashi Kenji deciphered the inscription in 1914 (Taisho 3), many people, including Fukuyama Toshio, Nishida Takeo, and Mizuno Yu, have offered their views on the meaning of the inscription. The "year of Mizunotohitsuji" is estimated to be either 443 or 503, and it is an extremely important source for the study of ancient history, as it already uses Chinese characters in the Man'yōgana style, such as "Oshisaka," and is written as "Okimi" rather than "Tenno."

[Tetsuzo Kubo]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

和歌山県橋本市の隅田八幡神社に古くから所蔵されている径19.8センチメートルの仿製(ぼうせい)鏡。国宝。内区は中国の人物画像鏡をまねたもので、外区には「癸未年八月日十大王与（年）男弟王、在意柴沙加宮時、斯麻念長寿（奉）、遣開中費直・穢人今州利二人等、取白上同二百旱、作此竟」という48字の銘文がある。銘文については、1914年（大正3）に高橋健自(けんじ)が解読して以来、福山敏男、西田長男、水野祐(ゆう)など多くの人が見解を示してきた。「癸未(みずのとひつじ)年」は443年か503年と推定され、「意柴沙加(おしさか)」のようにすでに漢字を万葉仮名的に使用していること、天皇ではなく「大王(おおきみ)」と表記されていることなど古代史研究上きわめて重要な資料である。

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