National Treasures & Important Cultural Properties
of National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Japan

This is a cinerary urn that was stored in a granite container and excavated from Mt. Ube behind Muryokoji Temple in Miyashita village in 1774. It is made of cast copper and has a lid, on the face of which is a 16-line inscription carved in a radial pattern. The inscription says that Tokotarihime was appointed to Jushichii-ge (an official rank) by Emperor Monmu on February 25, 707 and that she died on July 1, 708 and was cremated and buried in October 710. The Ihokibe family is a local clan of Hofumi-gun, Inaba-koku and produced two local administrators of Hofumi-gun and Oumi-gun. It is thought that Tokotarihime was a woman sent from Hofumi-gun to the court as a lady-in-waiting.