Restoration works on a temple in Kyoto revealed a 400-year old tool in the roof called a ノミ, which in English is a chisel. The kanji is pretty tricky hence why it is written in katakana:
The temple is a designated national treasure, referred to as the 大徳寺（だいとくじ） or the Temple of Great Virtue. By the 寺 character, this a Buddhist temple and is part of the Japanese Zen school.
The tool itself was found in the roof of the Abbot’s Quarters, or the 方丈（ほうじょう）. The Osaka Prefectural Cultural Asset Protection Department (my translation) believe that it most likely was left behind by accident by a carpenter during the 1635 construction of the building.
The tool was found when replacing a rafter that supported the south-east roof. It has a handle made of evergreen oak, and a double-edged blade made of steel that dates from the Japanese medieval period.
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