The shard of an inkstone believed to be from the Yayoi period (300 BC~300 AD) was found in Itoshima. Measuring 6 cm x 4 cm x 0.6 cm, the stone fragment was found in the Mikumo-Ihara Ruins in southern Itoshima, which is thought to be the location of the ancient Kingdom of Ito that is referred to in the Gi-shi Wa-jin Den, a 3rd century Chinese chronicle that includes descriptions of Japan (then known as Wa). The Itoshima Board of Education estimates the inkstone dates back to the 1st or 2nd century AD and says it resembles inkstones common during the Han dynasty in China. Source: NHK News 3/2
