Japan's Oldest Inkstone Discovered
Submitted by Alun on Thursday, 11 October 2001 Page Views: 2496
Other ArchaeologyCountry: Japan A small piece of a flat stone in Tamayama, Matsue City is threatening to push back the boundaries of Japanese history. It may be the a sign of the introduction of writing to Japan.Previously the earliest evidence for writing in Japan was a pictogram found on pottery in the Daishiro ruins of Ano Town. The pot sherd bears a mark which has been identified as a Kanji (1) symbol for "ho", which roughly translates as "to give reverently". It dates from the mid century century CE. However this is not evidence writing was used in Japan, as it may have been a gift from elsewhere, or a copy of a style. Most histories place the use of writing a recently as the seventh century CE in Japan.
The new discovery is an inkstone which has been identified as coming from the Korean peninsula and dates from China's Han period, which flourished around the last two centuries BCE. It is thought that the inkstone was brought over as essential apparatus for writing.
Chinese writing relied upon four ingredients, inkstick, inkstone, paper and the brush. Ink in ancient China was traded as a solid in sticks or cakes made from lampblack. To use it the inkstick was ground on the ink stone and then mixed with water.
While a pot with writing on it could be imported and used by an illiterate society, the inkstone is seen as being used only for writing. History may have lengthened in Japan by a few hundred years, and there may be a little less prehistoric Japan.
Based on an article from Tokyo Weekly.
(1) Kanji is a Japanese Alphabet. I think they have two or three alphabets.
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