King's Seal of Wa no Koku

Japanese: 倭奴国王印 - わのなのこくおういん

A gold seal excavated in Shika Island, Chikuzen (Fukuoka Prefecture) in 1784. It was discovered by the farmer Jinbei in a rice field. It has a square base with a snake-shaped knob, a total height of just under 2.25 cm, a side of the base of just over 2.30 cm, a thickness of just under 0.85 cm, and weighs approximately 108.7 g. The characters are inscribed in clerical script and read "King of Na in Han." It is thought to have been bestowed by the king of Na of Wa, who appears in the Eastern Barbarians section of the Book of the Later Han, when he paid tribute to Emperor Guangwu. It is an important historical document that tells of the relationship between Japan and China around the 1st century. Some say it is a private seal, and some say it is a fake. It was passed down to the Kuroda family, the lords of Fukuoka, and is currently housed at the Fukuoka City Museum, where it is designated as a national treasure.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

天明4 (1784) 年，筑前 (福岡県) 志賀島から出土した金印。百姓甚兵衛が持田から発見。方形の印台にへび状の鈕を備え，総高 2.25cm弱，印台1辺 2.30cm強，厚さ 0.85cm弱，重さ約 108.7g。文字は隷書体で「漢委奴国王 (かんのわのなのこくおう) 」と刻まれている。『後漢書』東夷伝にみえる倭の奴国の王が，光武帝に朝貢したときに賜わったものと考えられる。1世紀頃の日本と中国との関係を物語る重要な史料である。一部に私印説，偽物説もある。福岡藩主黒田家に伝えられ，現在は福岡市博物館に所蔵，国宝に指定されている。

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