Possible Palace Found in Japan

NARA PREFECTURE, JAPAN—According to a report in The Asahi Shimbun, traces of a large structure built during the first half of the eighth century A.D. have been found at the Miyataki archaeological site in central Japan, near the banks of the Yoshinogawa River. Archaeologists think it may be the main building of the Yoshino no Miya palace, mentioned in historic records and poetry as a place frequented by emperors, based upon its size and design. Scholars have been looking for the palace for years, and assumed it had been placed safely far away from the river, in the mountains, with views of the river. “I previously thought the poem depicts the palace in an exaggerated way,” said Makoto Ueno of Nara University, “but Yoshino no Miya was likely a detached palace to enjoy the beauty of the Yoshinogawa just as depicted in the poetry.” Michio Maezono of the Nara College of Arts added that the placement of this building could have facilitated religious services to honor the river god. For more on archaeology in Japan, go to “Samurai Nest Egg.”