horse ornament decorated with "jewel beetle" wings in Japan

A horse ornament adorning the wings of an insect called "jewel beetle" or Yamato tamamushi called in Japan, and Bidan beolrye 비단벌레 in Korea was first identified in Japan.

 

The wings of this beetle are very hard, and their light is famous for its glorious brightness, so it was used habitually for decoration in Silla, the ancient kingdom of the Korean Peninsula.

 

 

 

As a result of a recent analysis, beetle wings were found in one of the horse trappings unearthed in 2013 from a pit adjacent to an ancient "key-hole shaped" tomb called Funabaru Gohun located in Kogashi-shi, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. This tomb is thought to have been built around the end of the 6th to the beginning of the 7th century.

 

The analysis revealed that the wings were decorated at a horse strap pendant called "haengyeop".  Haengyeop is a kind of horse fitting used for decorating a horse, bound with chest and back hangers. 

 

 

"jewel beetle" or Yamato tamamushi

 

This is the first time a harness decorated with "jewel beetle" wings has been discovered in Japan. 

 

Ornaments such as these are revealed much earlier and much more widely in Silla.

 

Therefore, this relic is evaluated as evidence that this area was strongly influenced by Silla culture. 

 

 

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