PREHISTORIC JAPAN—BAELZ. 541 
Of the weapons the most characteristic are the iron swords, which 
differ in form as much from the swords of the bronze age as from 
those of the later Japanese, which, as is well known, curve backward 
toward the point. The iron swords are perfectly straight, with a hilt 
long enough for both hands. The length of the cutting edge is gen- 
erally from 80 to 100 cm., and the grip from 15 to 20 em. The swords 
are incased in a wooden sheath. This is often covered by a copper 
sheath, on which in exceptional cases a gold sheath is hammered, with 
designs of dragons and other things. 
These swords were not thrust into the girdle like the later Japanese 
swords, but hung at the girdle or belt of the wearer by a loop fastened 
to two eyelets on the sheath. Iron lances or spears appear to have 
been little used. Arrow points of iron and pieces of ornamental 
gilded bronze bits and horse trappings have been found. The Jap- 
anese of that time must have been keen horsemen, for such articles are 
often quite numerous in the more elaborate graves and are of varied 
and beautiful execution. 
. 
Fig, 8.—Swords ornamented with gold from a Japanese prince’s grave. Museum in Tokyo. 
Pieces of armor are rare, probably because the iron has been de- 
stroyed by rust. The Tokyo Museum, however, possesses some large 
and well-preserved specimens of iron breastplates and several hel- 
mets, one of them finely gilded. Out of the same grave with some of 
these objects was obtained a pair of perfectly preserved gold-plated 
copper shoes. 
Although iron swords are much more common than bronze swords, 
it is doubtful in their case, too, whether they were made from native 
material. No mines nor iron works have been found, and even 
to-day Japan is a country poor in iron. 
Tt is a remarkable fact that among the gifts of a King of Kudara 
(in Korea) in the third century A. D. fifty bars of iron are explicitly 
mentioned. A great many swords could be made from these. 
Whatever bronze objects are found in the dolmen graves are in the 
form of ornaments. Bronze mirrors plainly coming from China 
(some of them being dated from the Han dynasty, 200 B. C. to 200 
A. D.), little bronze bells for horses, horse bits and tr appings, and 
bronze arrow points are among the most numerous. Besides these 
