24 April 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Japan’s Oldest Multiplication Table Discovered in Nara, Dating Back 1,300 Years

A strip of wood discovered in the ruins of Fujiwara Palace in Nara Prefecture turned out to be part of Japan’s oldest multiplication table dating back about 1300 years.

The Fujiwara Palace site is the remains of an ancient capital city located in the environs of Takadono-chō and Daigo-chō in the city of Kashihara, and according to the Nihon Shoki chronicle the move to Fujiwara-kyo from the Asuka Palace was made in 694, and it was used until the capital moved to Nara in 710. The first capital city in Japan to be constructed using the Chinese model was Fujiwara.

The discovery was announced on 4 September by the Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties.

The wooden strip was unearthed in 2001 from what is believed to have been the site of an “Emon-fu guards’ office within the central government of Fujiwara-kyo, the ancient capital of Japan. 

The 16.2-centimeter-by-1.2-cm strip appears to be a piece of a larger multiplication table dating between the late seventh to early eighth century.

It is believed to have been used in government offices and other places at the time, and it is believed to be one of the oldest wooden tablets in Japan that contains a practical list of multiplication tables.

Photo: Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties

The wooden tablet, when viewed under infrared light, reveals inscriptions such as:

9 x 9 = 81

4 x 9 = 36

6 x 8 = 48

 All were written in what researchers presume are Kanji or Chinese characters.

The chart begins with the nine times table, with five equations written horizontally in a single line. During the initial stage of research, only a portion of the multiplication table was legible. Because the characters seemed to lack any regularity, the team previously classified it as someone’s practice tablet.

“If the multiplication table was whole, the wooden tablet would measure 33 centimeters in length with all the equations written out,” said Kuniya Kuwata, Chief researcher at Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties.

“I initially thought Japanese multiplication charts only had 2 to 3 equations per line, so I was genuinely surprised to find one with so many, similar to those in China and Korea,” Kuwata added.

While the tables previously found in Japan consisted of two to three rows, this five-line style seems to match those of the Qin and Han dynasties of China, which lasted from about the third century BC to the third century AD.

However, although the use of written characters in the multiplication table is confirmed by artifacts dated to the late 7th century, researchers do not exclude the possibility that the table was created during the Kofun Period, which lasted from approximately the middle of the third to the seventh century. Also, they posit it was used to design the iconic burial mounds associated with the period.

The tablet is believed to have been used by the “Emon-fu” office, responsible for security and other administrative duties, likely for calculating the workdays of officials or tax-related figures.

The team’s findings were published in the Nara National Research Institute’s Annual Bulletin 2024.

Cover Photo: News.go.jp

Related Articles

1300-year-old stone sculpture from the ancient Turkish era found in Kazakhstan

3 August 2021

3 August 2021

A 1,300-year-old stone sculpture from the early Turkish period was discovered in Kazakhstan’s south, around 250 kilometers (155 miles) from...

Thousands of ignored ‘Nummi Minimi’ Coins Found in the Ancient City of Marea in Egypt

11 December 2023

11 December 2023

Numismatists from the Faculty of Archaeology at the University of Warsaw have examined thousands of previously ignored small coins (Nummi...

A 1,600-year-old indoor pool, the first of its kind, discovered in Albania

13 May 2024

13 May 2024

In the Albanian port city of Durrës, archaeologists have uncovered a 1600-year-old Roman indoor pool, the first of its kind....

A monumental Etruscan tomb discovered in the necropolis of San Giuliano, north of Rome

25 February 2024

25 February 2024

After years of work, archaeologists discovered an impressive Etruscan tomb partially hidden underground in the rock-cut necropolis of San Giuliano...

7,000-Year-Old Animal-Figured Seals Found in Arslantepe, Anatolia’s First City-State

27 August 2024

27 August 2024

Archaeologists working at the Arslantepe Mound (Turkish: Arslantepe Höyük), a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Türkiye’s eastern Malatya province and...

Ancient necropolis of stillborn babies and very young children found in Auxerre, France

8 June 2024

8 June 2024

A team from INRAP, France’s national archaeology and preservation agency, unearthed a necropolis dedicated to stillborn and very young children...

A Mysterious Deity’s Ancient Gold Gift was Discovered at Georgia’s Gonio-Apsaros Roman Fort

25 October 2024

25 October 2024

During excavations at the Roman fortress of Apsaros in Georgia, archaeologists discovered a unique gold votive plaque presented to Jupiter...

1,800-year-old wooden mask likely used in farm festivals found in Japan

25 April 2023

25 April 2023

Archaeologists have unearthed an almost perfectly preserved wooden mask from the early third century at the Nishi-Iwata ruins in Osaka...

Stone reliefs describing the Persian-Greek wars were found in the ancient city of Daskyleion in northwestern Turkey

16 August 2021

16 August 2021

A relief depicting a fifth-century BC battle between the Greeks and Persians was discovered in the ancient city of Dascylium...

Roman Bath and Magnificent Mosaics Used as Stables by the Villagers For Many Years

3 January 2025

3 January 2025

Archaeological excavations in the ancient city of Herakleia in Muğla’s Milas district in western Türkiye unearthed a striking discovery from...

The biblical narrative of Sodom may have been inspired by a cosmic meteorite that devastated an ancient city

21 September 2021

21 September 2021

The Bible account of Sodom’s destruction lies at the heart of classic “fire and brimstone” judgment day prophesies. But what...

Ancient Roman Chalice Contained Pig Fat Discovered in a 6th-century Anglo-Saxon Tomb in England

11 December 2024

11 December 2024

During excavations in Scremby, Lincolnshire in 2018, archaeologists uncovered an enameled copper alloy chalice in a 6th-century AD female grave....

Was Stavanger Cathedral Built on a Viking Settlement?

4 June 2021

4 June 2021

Archaeologists have discovered animal bones and habitation evidence underneath the northern part of Stavanger cathedral that they believe date from...

A Mysterious Partially Submerged Structure in Ireland is a Prehistoric Tomb, archaeologist says

25 October 2022

25 October 2022

New research has revealed that a mysterious structure found many years ago on the eastern shore of Cork Harbor in...

Archaeological settlements dating back 3000 years found in Qurayat, Oman

2 October 2022

2 October 2022

Archaeological research in Oman’s Qurayat Province has revealed numerous archaeological and historical settlements, some dating back more than 3,000 years...