The History of Sakai: in Conversation with Simon Kaner and Sakai City Museum

Sakai is the second largest city in Osaka Prefecture, with a long history of trade culture developed through commercial exchange. In addition to its rich food culture and a flourishing industry of high-quality knives, Sakai is also famous for its very large kofun (burial mounds), dating from the 5th and 6th centuries CE.

This event, held in collaboration with Sakai City, featured two curators from Sakai City Museum: Shirakami Noriyuki, whose presentation focusses on the history and characteristics of Sakai's renowned hand-forged knives, and Tachibana Izumi who explores the archaeological mystery of the Mozu kofungun, a group of megalithic tombs originally consisting of more than 100 units of which only 44 remain today, and the relics that have been excavated from the site.

The participants were also joined in conversation by Simon Kaner, Executive Director of the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures (SISJAC) as the guest Chair of this event.