It was announced on January 23 that a bronze arrowhead dating back to the Warring States period of China (BC 5~3 century) had been uncovered at Minamikata (南方遺跡; while the official report lists “Minamikata” as the name of the site, “Minamigata” is a common alternative), Okayama city, Okayama prefecture.
The bronze arrowhead measures 3.7 cm long, 1.4 cm wide, and approximately 2 mm thick, and weighs a light 3.7 grams. The edges of the arrowhead extend far down along both sides, giving this style its namesake: double-winged bronze arrowhead (双翼式銅鏃). Excluding the broken tang, the piece is intact. While extremely sharp, its size, weight, and rarity suggest it was not for actual battle, but rather a prized object or burial good.
The Minamigata site was a major village in the Kibi (吉備) region during the Yayoi period. A hub for the movement of goods and people, it has revealed many intriguing finds, but this is the first time a bronze arrowhead of this type has been found in Japan.
A specialist in East Asian archaeology, Dr. Kobayashi Seiji (小林青樹) provides the fascinating historical context: “It is an extremely rare type of arrowhead, with finds limited to the major centers of Chinese civilization, such as the capital of Yan, one of the ‘Seven Kingdoms’ (戦国七雄) of this period. None have have been found on the Korean Peninsula.”
[*Edit: It has been brought to my attention that, while no arrowheads of this style have been found on the Korean Peninsula, a mold to cast them has been found at the Sangun-ri site (上雲里遺跡) in North Jeolla Province (全羅北道).]
The arrowhead was found in an artificial channel (8 meters wide and 1 meter deep) dating to the Middle Yayoi period. The article below assigns the Middle Yayoi period to the 2nd century BC. Assuming this is an acceptable date, there would have been a considerable amount of time between its manufacture and the time of its disposal.
Advances in AMS dating, however, have prompted sweeping revisions of Yayoi-period dates. A temporal assessment of this find will inform our interpretation of how long it took to get where it did or how many generations it was passed down as a prized possession within Japan. Nevertheless, it is an extremely rare find that speaks to the vibrant, international nature of Yayoi society.
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南方遺跡から中国のやじり 岡山市教委、国内で出土例ない
岡山・南方遺跡で出土した国内初の中国製双翼式銅鏃
岡山市教委は23日、弥生時代の吉備地域を代表する拠点集落の一つ、南方遺跡（同市北区国体町）で、中国の戦国時代（紀元前５〜４世紀）に鋳造された青銅製の鏃（やじり）が出土したと発表した。国内では出土例がない双翼式銅鏃（そうよくしきどうぞく）と呼ばれるタイプで、大陸文化に早く接した吉備の先進性を示す第一級の発見だ。
出土した銅鏃は長さ３・７センチ、最大幅１・４センチ。先端から両翼が長く伸びているのが特徴。両翼の間には透かし状の穴があり、矢の柄を取り付ける茎（なかご）の末端が欠けているほかはほぼ完形だった。非常に鋭利な一方、厚さ約２ミリ、重さも３・７グラムときゃしゃで、実戦用ではなく、副葬用などの儀器とみられる。
銅鏃を実見した小林青樹・国学院大栃木短大教授（東アジア考古学）によると、中国でも「戦国の七雄」に数えられる強国・燕の王都（河北省）など、中国文明の中心地域に出土例が限られる希少なタイプ。朝鮮半島でも確認例はないという。
今回出土したのは、弥生時代中期（紀元前２世紀ごろ）の人工の大溝跡（幅８メートル、深さ１メートル）。製作から遺棄までに年代の隔たりがあることから、中国から持ち込まれた後、埋められるまで大切に保管されていた可能性が高いとみられる。
南方遺跡はＪＲ岡山駅の北約６００メートルの中心市街地に立地。過去の発掘調査で精巧な漆塗り木器、近畿や九州産の土器など特殊な遺物が多く出土。吉備中心部の中核的な弥生遺跡の一つと評価されてきたが、今回の発見でその国際性も注目されることになる。
同市教委は２月２日午後１時半から現地説明会を行う。小雨決行。問い合わせは同教委文化財課（０８６―８０３―１６１１）。
Japanese Archaeology 