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A Japanese bronze mirror (you see the back here) from the 5th or 6th century and the Kofun period with human figures and writing with Chinese characters. From the beginning these mirrors were imported from China as prestige artefacts, and many are found in graves, from around 300 A.D. This, however, is not an import. The writing is with Chinese characters, but in Japanese - and an important source to the Old Japanese language at the time.
The writing is 癸未年八月日十大王年男弟王在意柴沙加宮時斯麻念長寿遣開中費直穢人今州利二人等取白上同二百旱作此竟 and it has been translated as "In the eighth month of a gui-wei year, in the reign of the great king, when the prince Wooto was at the Osisaka Palace, Sima, wishing for longevity, send two persons to make this mirror from 200 han of brand-new and fine bronze." (Thank you Wikipedia - they have an article on the mirror) There are some uncertainties to exactly what year is meant, it could be either 443 or 503. 'Wooto' might be a try to spell 'Oohodo', who was a grandson to the emperor Ōjin. Others think he might be Ōdo-no-Ookimi, later emperor Keitai. The Osisaka palace was situated in Sakurai, Nara. 'Sima' or 'Shima' is by some thought to be king Muryeong of Baekje (it the later date is the correct one).
This mirror is now a National Treasure of Japan, and on display at Tokyo National Museum.
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