The sword is 1500 years old in the Japanese tomb

Archaeologists find two rare swords in the 1,500-year-old tomb in the underground in southern Kyushu, Japan.

Two swords were discovered along with two skeletons, armor, weapons, saddles in the 6th-century tomb in Shimauchi district in southern Kyushu, yesterday's Ancient Origins reported.

After being taken from the grave, the swords were assigned to the Gangoji Cultural Research Institute in Nara for analysis and preservation. The long sword has a round knob in the hilt made of wood and a scabbard covered with precious warp fabric called tate nishiki . The sword is 142cm long, but the researchers believe the original size of the sword is 150cm. This is the longest sword ever excavated in ancient Japanese grave. The team speculated that the sword was a gift from the Yamato kingdom that governed the ancient Yamato province, now Nara Prefecture, from 250 to 710.

Two treasured swords are found in underground tombs in Kyushu, Japan.(Photo: Shunsuke Nakamura).

The second sword is about 85cm long. The round knob at the hilt decorated with silver and the sword hilt covered with stingray skin. According to Panam Leathers, Japan is one of the countries that use stingray skin as the earliest hilt. This material is ideal for durability, fire resistance, stabbing and water resistance. Japanese samurai often use stingray skin in the hilt of the sword and armor. The team said the stingray skin pattern is the oldest in East Asia.

The owners of the two swords are more likely to belong to the upper class and are respected."The swords show that the owner is a powerful person in southern Kyushu, serving the mandarin at a higher rank and being the close friend of King Yamato," Tatsuya Hashimoto, assistant professor of archeology at the Conservatory. Kagoshima University museum, said.

According to the Heritage of Japan, an underground cellar is a form of burial at the time of Kofun (250-538 years) in Japanese history. The bunker can be stone-lined rooms at the top of the mound or built under a mound with a tunnel leading into the side. The structure inside the grave is very simple but the dead are often buried with many valuable assets.