MATSUURA, Nagasaki -- The education board of this southwestern Japan city announced on Oct. 28 that objects believed to be dice and "koppai" cards, considered precursors to mahjong tiles, had been recovered from the third Mongol invasion shipwreck discovered at an underwater archaeological site off Takashima Island.
3rd vessel possibly a mother ship with living quarters
According to the education board, five dice and 29 koppai cards were discovered. Each card measures approximately 3 centimeters long and 1.5 cm wide. The objects resemble pieces used in a game that originated in China.
"The koppai cards, which are considered precursors to mahjong tiles, were likely used for recreation," said Yoshifumi Ikeda, an archaeology professor at Kokugakuin University who conducted the investigation jointly with the Matsuura Municipal Government.
This is the first time that suspected gaming pieces have been discovered at the Takashima underwater archaeological site.
The education board also announced that the surviving rear section of the vessel was about 15 meters long. Ikeda estimates that the ship was approximately 30 meters long overall.
"Given its size, the third vessel may have been a mother ship equipped with living quarters," he said. "The discoveries offer a glimpse into life during wartime."
The waters off Takashima Island were the site of fighting during the 1281 Battle of Koan, the second of two Mongol invasion attempts against Japan.
Three shipwrecks have so far been discovered there. The first, confirmed in 2011, is estimated to have been about 27 meters long. The second, confirmed in 2015, is believed to have measured more than 20 meters long. The city and other parties had been investigating the third vessel, confirmed in 2024, since Oct. 2.
(Japanese original by Seiichiro Yanase, Sasebo Local Bureau)