Inscribed mirror

An Inscribed mirror (銘帯鏡, Meitai-kyō, also "variant character inscribed mirror" (異体字銘帯鏡, ita ijime itai kyō)) is a type of Chinese bronze mirror in which an inscription band is the main design on the reverse side. The name variant characters (異体字, itaiji) refers to the unique design of the inscription, but they are sometimes simply called an inscribed mirror (銘帯鏡, Meitai-kyō). Okamura Hidenori attributes the mirror to the late Pre-Han period, from the early 1st century BC to the early 1st century CE They entered Japan in the mid- to late Yayoi period, mainly through northern Kyushu, and were later produced in Japan. Not all mirrors with Chinese character inscriptions fall into this category but rather ones with variant characters (異体字, itaiji) with specific characteristics are considered to be in the category.