Bronze bell No. 23 unearthed from the Kamo-Iwakura site

National treasure. Here we see a decorative bronze bell cast with dragonfly and deer designs and also a four-legged animal which may be a wild boar or a dog. In the center of the handle, the mark 'X' is inscribed. There is some confusion about the meaning of this mark. Since 'X’is known to designate closing, it might have been used to seal a spirit inside. This mark is inscribed on the bronze swords, or doken, from the Kojindani site, and 14 bronze bells, or dotaku, from the Kamo-Iwakura site.