The Far East of the Silk Roads

Mysterious Stones of Asuka Village

(Asuka Village, Nara Prefecture)

Asuka Village (明日香村) is a peaceful rural village located in the southern corner of the Nara basin. Expansive green paddy fields are spread out, their rice plants swaying in the breeze. There is absolutely no sign of the bustle of the city.

This tranquil village was once the thriving capital of Japan, serving as the residence for four emperors and four empresses during the 5th to 7th centuries. At that time, it was a highly advanced city, and even diplomatic envoys from Korea Peninsula visited, undertaking sea voyages and river navigation to reach this place.

This era holds a unique place in Japanese history. It was a time when four empresses held formidable power as monarchs of Japan. It coincided with the pivotal period when the foundations of the nation were being established. (In the history of Japan, spanning up to the current 126th emperor, the majority have been male, with ten of them being female.)

Among them was Empress Saimei who extended the emperor's influence throughout the land by dispatching her armies to the Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan.

Empress Saimei undertook the construction of waterways and imperial villa. The channels was to bolster waterborne transportation. According to ancient texts, this ambitious project mobilized approximately 30,000 laborers. Following the completion of the waterways, stones were transported by a fleet of 200 ships, which were then used to construct stone walls, develop a garden, erect a villa on a hilltop. This massive endeavor mobilized around 70,000 laborers. People of that time described these constructions as an act of madness.

In 1992, the stone walls were unearthed at the middle of a small hill in the Asuka village, marking a significant archaeological discovery. Subsequently, a water system composed of stones in the shape of a turtle and coins was uncovered at the base of the hill. These findings serve as a testament to Empress Saimei's works.

On the same hill, there is a mysterious stone surrounded by a lush bamboo grove, known as "Saka Fune Ishi," which translates to "sake ship stone." This massive, ancient stone artifact has distinct circles and lines meticulously carved into its surface. The enigmatic pattern on the stone has captured the imagination of many and has given rise numerous theories.

These theories often revolve around the idea of the stone being related to liquids due to its shape, which resembles a pond and a channel for water flow. Some speculate that it may have been used in the production of sake, a traditional Japanese alcoholic beverage, while others suggest it could have been used for creating medicines or served as an artistic ornamental object for the flow of water.

A fiction novelist, ’Seicho Matsumoto’ speculated in his novel that it might have been used to produce "haoma," sacred drink in Zoroastrianism. His novel might have drawn inspiration from some of the oldest historical records that describe Persians visiting Japan.

Whether the theory holds true or not, it's certainly intriguing to imagine the stone in the rural bamboo forest potentially being connected to the wider world through Persians journey along the Silk Road.