Photo/Illutration From left, a part of a double-sided mold for bronze artifacts, a part of a single-sided mold and a fragment of an earthenware, possibly used for scooping molten metal or holding it, are shown in the Saga prefectural government office on Dec. 4. (Katsumi Mitsugi)

YOSHINOGARI, Saga Prefecture--Two molds for bronze artifacts, possibly the oldest in Japan, have been discovered in the “mystery area” of an ancient site here, the prefectural government reported.

The discoveries, announced on Dec. 4, mark the eighth and ninth instances of such molds being unearthed in the Yoshinogari Ruins in Yoshinogari town and Kanzaki, both in Saga Prefecture.

One is a part of a mold carved on both sides of a stone for casting bronze swords and spears, measuring 9 centimeters in length, 4.6 cm in width and 1.6 cm in thickness.

The other is a part of a mold carved on only one side of a stone for casting bronze swords, measuring 8.8 cm long, 6.5 cm wide and 2.8 cm thick.

A fragment of earthenware was also found that could have been used for scooping molten metal or for holding it.

All the discovered artifacts are believed to date to the second century B.C., which is in the Yayoi Period (c. 1000 B.C.-250 A.D.).

They were found between 20 to 30 cm below the ground from Sept. 6 to Oct. 9.

The stone used for the double-sided mold was serpentinite, a material different from those previously found in molds at the Yoshinogari Ruins.

It is similar to the talc used on the Korean Peninsula, from which bronze casting techniques came.

The prefectural government believes residents of the time sought materials like those used on the Korean Peninsula.

Until now, molds for bronze artifacts have mainly been unearthed from the south side of the Yoshinogari Ruins, suggesting the presence of a bronze casting workshop there.

The latest discoveries were excavated from the north side of the site.

“It is significant that several molds for relics were also found on the north side this time,” said Takashi Shirakihara, the head of the Saga prefectural cultural property protection and utilization division.

“We need to make various guesses, such as whether there were two groups in Yoshinogari,” he said. “The more we dig, the more we learn about this area aptly named the mystery area.”

The prefectural government will exhibit the excavated molds and earthenware at an exhibition room in the Yoshinogari Historical Park until Dec. 22.

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