Ancient wooden tablet unearthed in Shizuoka

HAMAMATSU, Shizuoka -- An ancient wooden tablet indicating that a local county office loaned silk thread to peasants has been recovered from an archeological site dating back to the Nara Period (710-794).

The tablet, dating back to 724, has gathered attention as the first piece of historical data to show that county offices were deeply involved in the production and administration of silk products, which were exacted in lieu of taxes.

An official from Hamamatsu's cultural asset administration division said that the archeological site was near the remains of Totoumi Province's Fuchi county office, and the wooden tablet, or "mokkan," was found where a small river used to run.

The tablet, measuring 40 centimeters in length and 6 centimeters in width, is missing pieces from the top and bottom, and it's thought that a local official snapped the tablet and threw it into the river.

The tablet showed that about 600 grams of silk thread had been lent to two people. On the back was the name of the year according to the old Japanese calendar, and which corresponds to the year 724. The tablet is thought to have been used as a receipt for the loan.

"At the time, cloth was very valuable, but the production method was not widely known. It was supposed that administrative offices made common folk weave material, and this (wooden tablet) is valuable historical data backing up that supposition," a Hamamatsu Municipal Government official said.