The mirror says 癸未年八月日十大王年男弟王在意柴沙加宮時斯麻念長寿遣開中費直穢人今州利二人等取白上同二百旱作此竟There are a few unclear points, but a tentative translation is "In the eighth month of a gui-wei year, in the reign of the great king, when the prince Wooto was at the Osisaka Palace, Sima, wishing for longevity, sent two persons to make this mirror from 200 han of brand-new and fine bronze."

On the basis of this ancient inscription, Korean scholar Kim Woon-Hoe theorizes a fraternal relationship between Emperor Keitai of Japan and King Muryeong of Baekje.

The earliest record of this mirror is from the 3rd volume of the Kii no kuni meisho zue published in 1838.

This account states that this mirror was presented to Empress Jingū, after her conquest of the Samhan confederacies of Korea by "the people of that land".

The text mentions other theories for the historical origin of the mirror, and it makes an attempt to date the artifact by analysing the script used for the inscription.