Silver (47 AG). Silver is a soft, malleable, lustrous, white metal. Although large silver mines were only opened in the fifteenth century, some silver was mined already in the Nara period, as the Shōsō-in contains native minted silver coins as well as silver-plated items and objects drawn with designs in silver paint. In addition, the Shōsō-in stores an openwork silver incense burner and a silver-backed mirror, though these might be imported. The two large silver jars in the South Section were first thought to be Chinese, but are now considered to have been produced in Japan.