NISHIASAI, Shiga -- Religious statues dating back about 1,000 years to the Heian Period were unearthed among ruins north of Lake Biwa.

The Shiga Prefectural Board of Education announced on Monday that they had excavated from the Shiotsuko ruins in Nishiasai five wooden statues of gods, which were apparently made during the late Heian Period.

The find may offer insight into the convergence and coexistence of Japan's two major religious belief systems.

"They are valuable resources that provide information on the syncretization of Shinto with Buddhism, as well as the actual state of religion (in those times)," said a representative of the education board.

The statues, measuring between 10.5 and 15.2 centimeters tall, were unearthed in an approximately 60-centimeter-deep ditch on the northern side of the main hall and in other locations around the remains of a shrine situated among the ruins.

Two of the statues represent male deities, while the other three are female. Two of the wooden idols apparently comprise a pair. The statues are believed to have been washed away along with the shrine by a tsunami on Lake Biwa that was triggered by an earthquake in 1185.

It is the second time that such statues have been found at ancient ruins, following a find in the Aoki ruins (dated between the late Nara Period and the early Heian Period) in Izumo, Shimane Prefecture. It is the first time that five such statues have been found at the same time.

The excavated statues were apparently influenced by Buddhism, which was introduced to Japan in the 6th century. Along with the statues, remains of decorations that once adorned the pillars of a Buddhist temple was also found at the Shiotsuko ruins.

"It is a discovery that indicates how gods were enshrined at ancient shrines after the syncretization of Shinto with Buddhism," said Prof. Hiromichi Hayashi at the University of Shiga Prefecture.

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/200 ... 3000c.html

I wonder if these are a scam like the ones found in Saitama prefecture a few years back. Japanese archeolgists are well known for faking their 'finds'.

I'm wondering if they dig a little deeper that they might find Ultra-Man's beta capsule.

I'm wondering if they dig a little deeper that they might find Ultra-Man's beta capsule.