Reconstructed statues of an ancient dog breed, based on fossilised remains unearthed at the Makimuku ruins (纒向遺跡), are now on display at a local museum in Sakurai City, Nara Prefecture, until 28 September. The Sakurai City Board of Education and the Municipal Research Centre for Makimukugaku announced the completion of two models, one brown and one grey, on 22 April, the day before their official unveiling at the Sakurai City Centre for Archaeological Operations.
The models were created using a remarkably well-preserved skeleton believed to belong to a female dog that was at least 18 months old. The remains, along with accompanying artefacts, suggest the animal lived in the first half of the third century, placing it at the very beginning of the Kofun period (古墳時代, ca. 250–538 CE). This site is of particular archaeological significance, as the Makimuku ruins are designated a National Historic Site and are considered a strong candidate for the location of the ancient Yamatai (邪馬台国) kingdom, which is thought to have been ruled by the shaman-queen Himiko (卑弥呼) in the 3rd century.
This marks only the second instance in Japan where a full or near-complete canine skeleton has been used to reconstruct the physical appearance of a dog from antiquity. The first such case involved the so-called "Yayoi dog," whose remains were excavated from the Kamei ruins (亀井遺跡) in Yao City, Osaka Prefecture, a site renowned for its connections to the Yayoi culture (弥生文化, circa 1000 BCE–250 CE).
奈良県桜井市教育委員会と同市纒向学研究センターは22日、卑弥呼がいたとされる邪馬台国の有力候補地・纒向遺跡で見つか
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