Bronze swords from the Kojindani site

National treasures. Here we see some early Japanese metal and bronze implements. People must have been amazed and perhaps a little frightened by the exquisite other-worldly glint of the metal implements as they saw it for the first time. Perhaps they saw some mysterious power in it. Across Japan, bronze was never used to make weapons or everyday tools. Instead, it was used to make implements for religious ceremonies for prayers and in festivals. Let's try to find some clues to reveal the mysteries of these bronze implements which shone so brilliantly in the Yayoi period but whose fate would be to lie buried in the earth.It is assumed that the bronze swords at Kojindani were about 50 centimeters long and weighed 800 grams when they were made. None of them have sharp blades, so it is quite impossible to use them as weapons. This style of sword is found only in the Chugoku and Shikoku regions. They are believed to have been made in Izumo and so they are referred to as Izumo doken.