Armour-clad remains found in Japan

Published on December 18th, 2012 | by Sevaan Franks

The skeleton of a man who died in the early 6th century A.D. has been found in a layer of volcanic ash in Japan at the Kanai Higashiura ruins.

The Kanai Higashiura ruins are around nine kilometers northeast of Futatsudake. The skeleton, intact save the back of the skull and the pelvis, was found in a ditch around two meters wide and one meter deep. As the skeleton was found facing the volcanoes with its legs bent and facing downward, the research foundation speculates that the man may have been conducting a ritual to “calm the anger” of the volcanoes.

The armor is made of small overlapping metal plates, a type called kozane yoroi thought to have been produced only in the Kansai region far to the southeast of modern Shibukawa. Furthermore, kozane yoroi has never been discovered in Gunma outside the tombs of the ruling classes, leading foundation archaeologists to speculate the man was a local leader or other high-status individual with close connections to the Yamato kingdom.

[Full story]

Story: Mainichi | Photo: Mainichi

Tags: Armour, Japan, Kanai Higashiura, Remains, Skeletons