The is a ceremonial sword believed to be a gift from the king of Baekje to a Yamato ruler. It is mentioned in the Nihon Shoki in the fifty-second year of the reign of the semi-mythical Empress Jingū. It is a 74.9 cm (29.5 in) long iron sword with six branch-like protrusions along the central blade. The original sword has been conserved since antiquity in the Isonokami Shrine in Nara Prefecture, Japan and is not on public display. An inscription on the side of the blade is an important source for understanding the relationships between kingdoms of the Korean peninsula and Japan in that period. Appearance The blade of the sword is 65.5 cm and the tang is 9.4 cm long. There is no hole on the tang to fasten the sword with a hilt. The sword is broken at the top of the tang. In the past, the material was considered to be forged mild steel from the state of fracture surface, but the theory that it was cast became the mainstream through the latest research by Tsutomu Suzuki and reproduction experiment by swordsmith Kunihira Kawachi. As the ‘branches’ appear to be quite delicate, and their functionality in melee combat doubtful, it is unlikely that the Seven-Branched Sword was used as a military weapon. Instead, it probably had a ceremonial function. The sword has been stored in the Isonokami Shrine since ancient times. The inscription on the blade had been hidden by rust and was rediscovered in the 1870s by Masatomo Kan, a Shinto priest at the shrine. There is a two-sided inscription on the sword which is inlaid in gold. This sword appears to have been mentioned in the Nihon Shoki. Many scholars have engaged in study to interpret the vague inscription. Closeup pictures of the sword taken with X-ray were published in 1996. Origins Analysis and archeology have suggested that the sword's origins lie in Baekje Kingdom. The sword's peculiar design—with the tip of the blade counting as the "seventh" branch—is indicative of contemporary Korean tree-motifs. Other examples of this motif include the Baekje Crown and the Silla Crown. If the weapon had indeed been produced in Korea, it would have represented one of the prime artistic accomplishments of Baekje swordsmithery. Description in Nihon Shoki The sword is mentioned in the biography of Empress Jingū, a legendary Japanese empress in the ancient era. The following is the