What is a mirror really meant to reflect? The object before you is a Triangular-Rimmed Mirror with Deities and Sacred Beasts, one of the most remarkable mirrors from Japan's Kofun period.

It was excavated from the Tomio Maruyama Tomb in Nara, the largest known round burial mound in Japan. Many incredible objects were discovered there, including an enormous serpent-shaped sword. Together, they suggest that the person buried in the tomb held great importance.

The side on display is not the polished surface, but the back of the mirror. Its intricate design is filled with gods and mythical beings from ancient Chinese mythology and Daoist belief.

Why would Chinese gods appear on a mirror buried in an ancient Japanese tomb?

Perhaps the answer lies in Japan itself. Ideas, beliefs, and works of art traveled from China through the Korean Peninsula before reaching Japan. Even earlier, many of those stories had crossed the Silk Road from lands far to the west. In a way, Japan became the final stop on that long journey.

This mirror was not only a beautiful object. It reflected light, was believed to drive away evil, and was placed in tombs to protect the dead. It carried a sacred meaning.

So what did people place their hopes in when they looked at it? Beauty alone cannot explain its importance. Was it a symbol of authority? An object of prayer? Or perhaps a sign that its owner had the legitimacy to rule?

Perhaps what this mirror reflected was not simply a human face. Perhaps it reflected the image of the divine that the rulers of ancient Yamato longed to see.