Today, Takashi Murakami, the Director of
Kyoto National Museum announced that when they restored an ancient bronze mirror with 3D printer, it was "
magic mirror(魔鏡)".
This mirror is "Sankakubuchishinjuukyou(三角縁神獣鏡: triangular rimmed ancient mirror decorated with gods of animals)". This has the opinion with the mirror of Japanese ancient shaman queen
Himiko. The mirror was important existence in ancient Japan and used by ceremony of the worship. However, the concrete role is still unknown.
The ancient mirror polished bronze and was made. The magic mirror is made by making the surface nonuniform by polish. When bright sunlight or other bright light reflects onto the mirror, the mirror seems to become transparent. If that light is reflected from the mirror towards a wall, the pattern on the back of the mirror is then projected onto the wall. Originally they were made in ancient China, but they spread in Japan. Because the Japanese Shinto is sun faith, there is the opinion to be related to it.
Various studies have been performed until now about Sankakubuchishinjuukyou, but they are very precious, and investigators cannot touch them casually. Therefore they made a copy with 3D printer. powder on Copper, tin and lead of the ratio same as Sankakubuchishinjuukyou were used as material. investigators found by that Sankakubuchishinjuukyou was magic mirror making a copy. This is the first time that ancient magic mirror was discovered in Japan. Movie is
here.
