King of Na gold seal

The King of Na gold seal (Japanese: 漢委奴国王印) is a solid gold seal discovered in the year 1784 on Shikanoshima Island in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The seal is designated as a National Treasure of Japan. The seal is believed to have been cast in China and bestowed by Emperor Guangwu of Han upon a diplomatic official (envoy) visiting from Japan in the year 57 AD. The five Chinese characters appearing on the seal identify it as the seal of the King of Na state of Wa, tributary state of the Han dynasty.

The seal is currently in the collection of the Fukuoka City Museum in Fukuoka, Japan. It is the first known textual record of Japan as a country, and is included in Japanese history books as a cultural asset that indicates how Japan came into being as a political entity.

Appearance

The seal is composed of gold of 95% purity. It is made up of a square base, with the seal itself on the bottom face, and a handle on top of the base in the shape of a snake. It has a mass of 108.729 grams (3.8353 oz). The total height from base to handle is 2.236 centimetres (0.880 in). The base of the seal averages 2.347 centimetres (0.924 in) on a side. This dimension roughly corresponds to the traditional Chinese standard unit of length of one cun, as used in the Later Han dynasty (about 2.304 centimetres [0.907 in]).

Characters engraved on the seal

The five characters engraved on the seal are (in the order in which they are to be read):

漢委奴國王

The meanings of these characters (in the context of this seal) are: "Han" (referring to the Han dynasty of China), "Wa" (an ancient name for Japan), "Na" (an ancient kingdom / state within Japan), "state / country", and "ruler." Altogether, the meaning of the seal inscription is: "(seal of) the King of the Na state of the Wa [vassal?] of the Han dynasty".