The King of Na Gold Seal, the Eastern Han Dynasty, (25-220)

[Photo/sina.com.cn]

The King of Na Gold Seal is one of the National treasures of Japan, which is now preserved in Fukuoka City Museum.

According to records from the Chinese chronicle Book of Later Han, the seal was conferred by the Emperor Guanggu in 57AD in the middle of the Yayoi Era of Japan. For some reasons, this seal was buried in Shikanoshima Island in Fukuoka and discovered in 1784. The stamp surface is square, with a side length of 2.3cm. It has a height of 0.9cm from the stamp pad, above which is a snake-like handle, making the total height of 2.2cm. The words "汉倭奴国王" ("the King of the Wonu country", Wonu is the ancient name of Japan) are inscribed on the stamp surface, indicating clearly that Wonu country was affiliated to the government of the Han Dynasty. And it is recognized as the earliest evidence of links between China and Japan.