KASHIHARA, Nara Prefecture--A stool that has stubbornly stood the test of time--about 1,500 years, to be precise--has been found in ruins here.

The wooden object is believed to have been made around the fifth century (the middle of the Kofun Period) and was discovered at the Shindo ruins, the Kashihara city board of education reported on Feb. 15.

While several dozen wooden products believed to be stools from the Kofun Period have been discovered in Japan, it is extremely rare to find one in such good condition, according to experts.

Mahito Uehara, director of the Tatsuuma Collection of Fine Arts, said female attendants or high-ranking figures probably sat on the stool during rituals.

“Chairs have been used since the Yayoi Pottery Culture period (300 B.C.-A.D. 300),” he said. “But this one is so elaborate and is a rare find.”

The stool, measuring about 12 centimeters in height and 35 cm in length, is made in the “ichiboku-zukuri” style, the method of creating an entire product from one tree--in this case a “koyamaki” (Japanese umbrella pine).

In ancient Japan, these conifers were often used in making special products such as coffins for powerful figures.

The stool also boasts an elaborate design with rounded edges to the seat portion and curved legs.

A fancy sword-shaped wooden object was also unearthed near the stool along with lacquer- and vermilion-painted attachments patterned with carved straight lines and circular arcs.

The stool is scheduled to be exhibited in the Clean Center near the Kashihara City Museum of History on Feb. 26 and March 4. For details, visit the museum’s website