Description
Excavated from the Nishinoda Sutra Mound
Diameter from lobe to lobe: 9.3 cm; diameter of inner rim: 5.9 cm; rim height: 0.45 cm; rim width: 0.2 cm; weight: 126 grams Late Heian period (10th-11th c.)
This mirror was excavated along with items, such as bronze mirrors, sutra cases, porcelain lidded containers, glass beads, cooking vessels, and various gilt utensils, from a stone cutter's workshop. Made of bronze with a high tin content <I> (hakudo), </I> it has a dark, blackish patina. The cross-sectioned trapezoid rim and the different heights of the inner and outer ridges are features seen in eight-cusped mirrors from the time of the Tang dynasty. The long-tailed, long-feathered phoenixes are also a classical design common to this type of mirror. From these stylistic features, some have dated this mirror to the first half of the tenth century. However, new elements, such as the truncated, decorative floral boss and eight-lobed inner rim, suggest that this mirror was produced some time around the eleventh century.
Data source
ColBase
"ColBase: Integrated Collections Database of the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Japan" is a service that enables a multi-database search of the collections in the four national museums (To...
Contents holder/Provider
Aggregator
National Institutes for Cultural Heritage
The National Institutes for Cultural Heritage (NICH) comprise four National Museums (Tokyo National Museum, Kyoto National Museum, Nara National Museum, and Kyushu National Museum) and two National Research Institutes for Cultural Properties (Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, and Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties), as well as the International Research Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region (IRCI) in Sakai City, for a total of seven institutions.
Last updated
July 20, 2026