Well, recorded History in Japan is arguably far newer than that, as the much of the earliest sources are from inscriptions or from records that did not survive (which also happened to much of the earlier Korean and Chinese records) such as the Kokki and the Tennōki. Writing probably arrived from the Korean Peninsula around the 4th century, as the Nihon Shoki and Kojiki state that a semi-legendary scholar called Wani was dispatched to Japan by the Kingdom of Baekje during the reign of Emperor Ōjin in the 4-5th centuries.

The Eta Funayama Burial Mound Sword, the Inariyama burial-mound sword, and Suda Hachiman Shrine mirror are all inscriptions that predate such records.

The Korean Seven-Branched Sword (not including the King of Na gold seal) is likely the oldest piece of writing in Japan being dated around the 4-5th centuries.