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8.5: Haniwa

  • Page ID
    359688

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    Two ancient pottery figures, one with arms raised, both featuring facial openings and a textured surface, set against a dark background.

    Artist: Unknown
    Medium: Terracotta clay
    Art Historical Time Period: Kofun period, Japan (3rd to 6th century CE)

    Haniwa are terracotta clay figures that were made for ritual use and buried with the dead during the Kofun period in Japan. These figures include representations of people, animals, and objects.

    Haniwa are important to their culture as they provide insights into the burial practices, social structures, and daily life of ancient Japan. They were believed to protect the deceased in the afterlife and serve as a link between the living and the dead. Haniwa are also important to world culture as they represent a unique form of funerary art and contribute to our understanding of ancient Japanese civilization. Understanding haniwa helps students appreciate the cultural significance of burial artifacts and the ways in which they reflect societal values and beliefs.

    Vocabulary

    • Terracotta A type of earthenware, a clay-based unglazed or glazed ceramic.

    Student Authors

    • Paula Lopez ’24 and Eduardo Martinez ’23

    References and Image Attribution

    • Farris, William Wayne. Sacred Texts and Buried Treasures: Issues in the Historical Archaeology of Ancient Japan. University of Hawaii Press, 1998.
    • Kidder, J. Edward. Himiko and Japan's Elusive Chiefdom of Yamatai: Archaeology, History, and Mythology. University of Hawaii Press, 2007Image: “Haniwa 20190307 133513” via
    • Wikimedia Commons by Ka23_13, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International. Modified from original.

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