1,300-Year-Old Coffin Reproduced in Japan

NARA PREFECTURE, JAPAN—The Asahi Shimbun reports that researchers from the Archaeological Institute of Kashihara have created a replica of a coffin dated to the late seventh or early eighth century A.D. Fragments of the cedar coffin were discovered in 1972 in the Takamatsuzuka burial mound in Asuka, Japan’s imperial capital from A.D. 593 to 710. At the time, the tomb was noted for its murals, which have been designated as national treasures. The exterior of the replica coffin is coated in black lacquer, while the interior is coated with red pigment mixed with traces of mercury. The coffin’s fittings are made of a gold-copper alloy. Now on display at Nara’s Museum of the Archaeological Institute of Kashihara, the replica coffin rests on a gold-plated lacquer stand. To read about hidden Buddhist paintings in a Kyoto temple that may date to the later Asuka period, go to "Around the World: Japan."