OSAKA -- Five bronze mirrors were found in a tumulus in Takatsuki, Osaka Prefecture, reinforcing the theory that the ancient kingdom of Yamatai was in the Kinki region, instead of in northern Kyushu.
The Takatsuki Municipal Board of Education, which announced the finds August 1, said there is a possibility that the mirrors were given to someone who served the kingdom. The mirrors were found in a small tumulus at Amagoshono-machi, Takatsuki, which commands a view of a plain to the south where the Ama ruins from the Tumulus Period (late third century to seventh century) are located. This area is along the Yodo River, a vital ancient system for water traffic that empties into the Seto Inland Sea.
One of the mirrors bears the name of the third year of Qinglong, an era name from China's Wei dynasty (220-265). Qinglong 3 is the year 235. This mirror has a square pattern around a knob on its back, other patterns and 39 letters. Wei chronicles show that four years before 235, Queen Himiko of the Yamatai kingdom sent a mission to the Wei dynasty.