‘Mokkan’ tablet describes 8th century crown prince in Nara

A “mokkan” wooden tablet unearthed here was marked “kotaishi” (crown prince), an apparent reference to Emperor Shomu (701-756) before he ascended to the throne and commissioned the Great Buddha statue at Todaiji temple, researchers said.

Pieces of a “mokkan” ancient wooden tablet that were recently discovered read 
“kotaishi” (crown prince) [Credit: Nara National Research Institute
 for Cultural Properties]

It was the first time kotaishi has been found written on a mokkan from an excavation site of the ancient Japanese capital.

The Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties concluded that the crown prince described in the narrow strip of wood that dates to the Nara Period (710-784) was Emperor Shomu, who was previously known as Obito no Miko (Prince Obito), according to the institute’s bulletin for 2015.

“The finding suggests there used to be facilities relevant to Obito no Miko near the site,” said Akihiro Watanabe, who heads the organization’s historical material study department. “The discovery is important in considering how the land was used then.”

The institute’s conclusion was supported by the era name written on another wooden tablet discovered at the same location.

In February last year, 4,400 mokkan and wood shavings were excavated on the east side of the former site of the Heijo Imperial Palace. One piece read “two people” and another read “crown prince.”

The wood grains of the two fragments show they were from the same mokkan, meaning the original tablet read “two people crown prince,” apparently indicating the number of attendants to Obito no Miko.

Author: Yumi Kurita | Source: The Asahi Shimbun [July 04, 2015]