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Wooden tablet recording sale of nuhi woman found at Nara's Heijo-kyo site
En breve
Nara city said a wooden tablet recording the sale of a “nuhi” — a person of the lower senmin status under the ancient ritsuryo system — was excavated from a well at the Heijo-kyo site, the first such mokkan found in Japan. The tablet records a 27-year-old woman sold for 8 kanmon (8,000 coins), estimated at about 2.4 million yen today, with the seller receiving half the price in advance. Fragmentary writing on the reverse side suggests the sale may not have been completed.
Leer la noticia completa 3 min de lectura
Nara city announced on October 7 that a wooden tablet recording the sale of a “nuhi,” a person of the lower senmin status under the ancient ritsuryo system, was excavated from a well at the Heijo-kyo site in Nara. The city's board of education and its Center for Archaeological Operations said it is the first mokkan confirmed in Japan to record such a transaction; the sale of nuhi was previously known from documents such as those of Todai-ji. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
According to the center, the tablet was found in May during an excavation of the southeastern part of Heijo-kyo, in Anzu-cho, in the remains of a well. It is at least 62.4 centimeters long, 3.7 centimeters wide and 0.9 centimeters thick, and its lower portion is missing. The Asahi said more than 73 characters were written in ink on both sides, with different brushwork on the front and back; Nippon TV News described the tablet as roughly 60 centimeters long and about 4 centimeters wide with more than 70 characters. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
On the front, the tablet records that a 27-year-old woman named “□須良売” (the first character is unreadable) was sold for 8 kanmon, or 8,000 coins, which the center estimated at about 2.4 million yen in present-day terms. The buyer is recorded as a household head living in Heijo-kyo's Ukyo Sanjo district, and the seller received 4 kanmon of the price. Nippon TV News reported the content as stating that only half the price was paid in advance, and said the buyer's district was close to the palace and considered a high-grade residential area. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
The reverse side is fragmentary, with characters including “逃人” (fugitive), “利,” “詫,” and, according to the Mainichi, “過期” (past the deadline). Takashi Yamamoto, a senior researcher at the Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, told the Asahi that this wording suggested the sale may not have been concluded. The center said the tablet may have been a document submitted by the seller to have the sale approved by a government office, and that it may have been returned and thrown away in a disused well; because the site is in an area where lower-ranking officials lived, the Mainichi reported that the seller or an official who received it may have discarded it. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
The ritsuryo status system distinguished “ryomin” from “senmin,” and the Nikkei reported that the “five sen” categories included publicly managed “ko-nuhi” and privately held “shi-nuhi,” who could be transferred or sold. The woman on the tablet is thought to have been a shi-nuhi, and the Nikkei, citing professor Shuji Yoshino of Kyoto Sangyo University, said 8th-century registers suggest nuhi were about 4% of the population and that the system was becoming a formality by the end of the 8th century. [ 1 , 4 ]
Akihiro Watanabe, a professor at Nara University, told the Mainichi the tablet was an important source for approaching the reality of nuhi sales and the customs and procedures of the time, adding that its unusually large size may help explain how mokkan were used. Motoi Baba, head of the Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties' center for archaeological research, said the find conveys the details of human trafficking and that its discovery beside the period's “Higashi-ichi” market was interesting. Takaki Takemura, the technician who led the excavation, said he expects the reality of nuhi sales to become clearer. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
Por qué importa
Documents on nuhi sales were already known from temple archives, but the officials said this is the first time a mokkan records the transaction itself, adding detail on price and payment method. Researchers quoted by the outlets said the find could shed light on how sales were handled and on the workings of the market area beside which it was found. The tablet's large size is also described as unusual and may inform how mokkan were used.
Datos clave
- A mokkan recording the sale of a “nuhi” was excavated from a well at the Heijo-kyo site in Nara, the first such tablet confirmed in Japan, according to Nara city. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The tablet records that a 27-year-old woman was sold for 8 kanmon, or 8,000 coins, estimated at about 2.4 million yen in present-day terms. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- The seller received 4 kanmon, half the price, in advance, according to the written content. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The buyer is recorded as a household head living in Heijo-kyo's Ukyo Sanjo district. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- The tablet is dated to the second half of the 8th century, based on pottery found with it and the well's period. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Fragmentary characters on the reverse side, including “逃人” (fugitive) and “過期” (past the deadline), suggest the sale may not have been completed. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- The tablet was found in May during a Nara city excavation of the southeastern part of Heijo-kyo. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Kyoto Sangyo University professor Shuji Yoshino said 8th-century registers suggest nuhi were about 4% of the population, and that the system was becoming a formality by the end of that century. [ 4 ]
Confirmado por varias fuentes
- A wooden tablet recording the sale of a “nuhi” was excavated at the Heijo-kyo site in Nara and announced by Nara city on October 7; officials said it is the first such mokkan found in Japan. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The tablet records a 27-year-old woman sold for 8 kanmon, with the seller receiving 4 kanmon, or half the price, in advance. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The tablet is dated to the second half of the 8th century. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- It was found in a well at the southeastern part of the Heijo-kyo site, an area where lower-ranking officials are thought to have lived. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- Researchers said the sale may not have been completed, based on fragmentary wording on the reverse side. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
Aún sin aclarar
- Whether the sale was actually concluded. The Asahi and Mainichi reports say the fragmentary reverse side suggests the transaction may have failed, but the documents do not state a conclusion, and no outlet reports confirmation.
- The full name of the woman sold. Asahi and Mainichi say the first character of “□須良売” is unreadable.
- Why the transaction was apparently not completed, and why the tablet was discarded in the well. The documents offer only possible explanations, such as return by a government office or disposal by the seller or a receiving official.
- Whether the tablet was an application submitted to authorities by the seller. The outlets describe this as a likelihood rather than a confirmed fact.
- The exact date in May when the tablet was excavated. Asahi and Nippon TV News say May but give no day.
Qué dicen los medios locales
Cronología, hora local
- Nara city's excavation of the southeastern part of the Heijo-kyo site finds the tablet in a well (no specific day given). [ 1 , 3 ]
- Nara city announces the discovery; Asahi Shimbun and Mainichi Shimbun publish reports. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Nippon TV News reports the find, describing it as the first in Japan to record the payment of half the price in advance. [ 3 ]
- Nikkei reports the discovery, adding the estimate that nuhi were about 4% of the population. [ 4 ]