Kesen (meteorite)
The Kesen ( Japanese 気 仙 隕石 , Kesen inseki ) is the largest meteorite found in Japan . It is classified as a common H4 group chondrite .
According to the records of the shogunate governor ( 代 官 , daikan ) and the district magistrate ( 郡 奉行 , kōri bugyō ), the meteorite struck on June 13, 1850 in a field in front of the temple Chōen-ji ( 長 圓 寺 , also 長 円 寺 ) in what is now the district Kesenchō-Ushizawa in Rikuzentakata in Iwate Prefecture .
Since this was interpreted as a bad omen, demons were warded off as a precaution with a "tiger dance" ( 虎 舞 , toramai ), which is still performed every year as Futsukaichi Toramai ( 二 日 市 虎 舞 ).
When the meteorite was handed over to the Imperial Museum (today Tokyo National Museum ) in 1894 , it weighed 135 kg (36 kan ), parts of which had already been removed. Pieces were then taken for scientific research, so that the meteorite now weighs only 106 kg. This largest section is exhibited in the National Museum of Natural Sciences .
See also
Web links
- Entry in the database of the Meteoritical Bulletin (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ 日本 の 隕石 リ ス ト . National Museum of Natural Sciences , archived from the original on June 3, 2013 ; Retrieved April 27, 2013 (Japanese).
- ↑ a b c 気 仙 隕石（Kesen meteorite）. Mie Prefecture Museum, archived from the original on November 5, 2012 ; Retrieved April 27, 2013 (Japanese).
- ↑ a b c 気 仙 隕石 ［け せ ん い ん せ き］ . Iwate Prefecture Museum, archived from the original on May 1, 2013 ; Retrieved April 27, 2013 (Japanese).
Coordinates: 38 ° 59 ′ 40 ″ N , 141 ° 37 ′ 0 ″ E