Stone Axe with Hornlike Protrusions (Yūkaku sekifu)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This exceedingly rare archaeological artifact—coincidentally resembling the Egyptian hieroglyph anhk, symbolizing “life”—appears to have had a ritual rather than practical function. Only a handful of other similar examples have been published, dated mostly to the mid-Yayoi period based on proximity to datable material in excavation sites in Chiba, Kanagawa, and the Tōhoku region

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art