 Owari is mentioned in records of the Nara period, including the "Kujiki", although the area has been settled since at least the Japanese Paleolithic period, as evidenced by numerous remains found by archaeologists.Early records mention a powerful “Owari clan”, vaguely related to, or allied with the Yamato clan, who built massive kofun burial mounds in several locations within the province, from which archaeologists have recovered bronze artifacts and mirrors dating from the 4th century.Atsuta Shrine is of very ancient origin, ranking with Ise Shrine in importance, and is the repository of one of the Imperial Regalia of Japan, the "Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi".