Section of Ancient Wooden Sledge Found in Japan

CHIBA PREFECTURE, JAPAN—The Asahi Shimbun reports that a piece of a runner from a wooden sledge was discovered in the moat surrounding Hamanaga-Suga burial mound cluster, which is located near the eastern coast of the island of Honshu. The 1,400-year-old runner fragment, made from the wood of the muku tree, measures about 55 inches long. Such V-shaped sledges, known as shura, are thought to have carried materials such as heavy stones used to build the burial mounds at the site. To read about another recent discovery in Japan, go to “Samurai Nest Egg.”