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Na was a state<ref>The character 国, read as ''koku'' or ''kuni'' in [[Japanese language|Japanese]], can be translated as "country" or "province"</ref> which was located in and around the modern-day city of [[Fukuoka]], on the island of [[Kyushu]], from the 1st to early 3rd centuries CE. Much of what is known about it comes from ancient records of both China and Japan.

Na was a state<ref>The character 国, read as ''koku'' or ''kuni'' in [[Japanese language|Japanese]], can be translated as "country" or "province"</ref> which was located in and around the modern-day city of [[Fukuoka]], on the island of [[Kyushu]], from the 1st to early 3rd centuries CE. Much of what is known about it comes from ancient records of both China and Japan.

According to the ''Book of Later Han'', in [[57]] CE, [[Emperor Guangwu]] of [[Han Dynasty|Han]] (China) granted ''Na'' an [[Imperial Seal of China|imperial seal]], patterned after the Chinese [[jade]] seals, but made of [[gold]]. In return, that same year, Na sent envoys to the Chinese capital, offering [[tribute]] and formal New Year's greetings. This seal was discovered over 1500 years later, by an [[Edo period]] farmer on the island of [[Shikanoshima]], thus helping to verify the existence of ''Na'', which was otherwise known only from the ancient chronicles. Engraved upon it are the characters 「漢委奴国王」(''kan no wa no na no koku-ō'', King of the Japanese country of Na of Han).  

According to the ''Book of Later Han'', in [[57]] CE, [[Emperor Guangwu]] of [[Han Dynasty|Han]] (China) granted ''Na'' an [[Imperial Seal of China|imperial seal]], patterned after the Chinese [[jade]] seals, but made of [[gold]]. In return, that same year, Na sent envoys to the Chinese capital, offering [[tribute]] and formal New Year's greetings. This seal was discovered roughly 1700 years later, by an [[Edo period]] farmer on the island of [[Shikanoshima]], thus helping to verify the existence of ''Na'', which was otherwise known only from the ancient chronicles. This gold seal is the oldest extant object discovered in Japan to indicate political interaction with the continent, and the oldest such object to be inscribed with Chinese characters.<ref name=nappi>"[http://newbooksineastasianstudies.com/2014/01/21/joshua-fogel-japanese-historiography-and-the-gold-seal-of-57-c-e-relic-text-object-fake-brill-2013/ Joshua Fogel - Japanese Historiography and the Gold Seal of 57 C.E.: Relic, Text, Object, Fake]," ''New Books in East Asian Studies'' blog/podcast, 21 January 2014.</ref> Engraved upon it are the characters 「漢委奴国王」(''kan no wa no na no koku-ō'', King of the Japanese country of Na of Han). After its discovery, the seal entered the private collection of the Lords of [[Fukuoka han]], and was secreted away until the [[Meiji period]], when it was moved into the [[Tokyo National Museum|Tokyo Imperial Museum]].<ref name=nappi/> Today, it is held at the Fukuoka City Museum, and has been designated a [[National Treasure]].<ref>"[http://museum.city.fukuoka.jp/english/eb/eb_fr2.html Gold Seal]," Fukuoka City Museum, official website.</ref>

A reference is found in the ''[[Gishiwajinden]]'' (魏志倭人伝, Biography of Japanese of High Aspirations), a portion of the Chinese ''Book of Wei'', to the continued existence of ''Na'' in the 3rd century, naming the officials and stating that it contains over 20,000 homes.

A reference is found in the ''[[Gishiwajinden]]'' (魏志倭人伝, Biography of Japanese of High Aspirations), a portion of the Chinese ''Book of Wei'', to the continued existence of ''Na'' in the 3rd century, naming the officials and stating that it contains over 20,000 homes.