The history of padlocks goes back to ancient times. As soon as humans came up with the concept of property, they began devising ways to protect it. Archaeological evidence suggests that people transitioned from simple latches to using locks quite quickly.

The first padlocks of primitive design were known to the inhabitants of Ancient Egypt, China, and Babylon. They were designed to block latches and did not have keyholes. The ancient Greeks also used padlocks: their mechanism was secured with special knots, which only the owner could untie. They were installed in such a way that it was difficult to get to them with a knife, although wrongdoers often managed to cut the knots.

In the Primorsky Krai, locks appeared during the Bohai period, the first state of the Tungus-Manchu people. It was located on the territory of Southern Manchuria, the south of Primorsky Krai, and in the northern part of the Korean Peninsula in 698–926 CE.

These locks did not exhibit a great variety or complexity of design, but the very fact of their use indicates social stratification in Bohai society. Additionally, the presence of materials necessary for making such items suggests that the residents had achieved a certain level of craftsmanship.

In the Russian Far East, the appearance of locks is documented from the medieval period at Bohai and Jurchen archaeological sites.

The locks of that time were cylindrical mechanisms with a spring system. Technologically, Bohai and Jurchen locks were removable, that is, padlocks. The removable lock consisted of a body, a shackle, and a key. These parts, both as a whole and separately, determined the type of lock.

During the Jurchen period, from 1115 to 1234, the variety of types and forms of locks significantly increased, as did their range of applications. Their main function in the Golden Empire continued to be the protection of premises from outsiders, which indicates the prosperity of the Jurchens. Moreover, the manufacture of spring locks indicates high professionalism and the presence of advanced industrial technologies, metallurgy, and metalworking in the Jurchen Empire.