Haniwa warrior
A warrior in armour with a sword, made to stand on a burial mound. Haniwa protected the dead and displayed their power.
The simple holes for the eyes and mouth give the figure an almost modern expression.
Haniwa are fired-clay figures placed on and around burial mounds during the Kofun period in Japan, roughly from the 3rd to the 7th century. The word means something like “clay rings”. The earliest haniwa were simple cylinders set in rows around the mounds. Over time, figures representing houses, animals, boats and people began to be made.
The warrior shown here dates from the 6th century and was found in Gunma Prefecture, north-west of Tokyo. He is about 130 centimetres tall and belongs to the Tokyo National Museum, where he is designated a National Treasure. He wears a helmet with a neck guard and armour of metal plates carefully rendered in clay. He has a sword at his hip and guards on his forearms, and holds a bow in his hand.
The figure stands upright, his body symmetrical and still. The face has simple cut-out holes for the eyes and mouth, and the nose is shaped as a small ridge. Despite the simple form, the details of the armour give a clear picture of how warriors looked in Japan some 1,500 years ago. The helmet, armour and weapons match real armour found in graves of the same period, so the figure reproduces actual equipment.
The figure was built up from coils of clay over a hollow base, much like ceramic vessels. The lower part is a cylinder that could be pushed into the ground of the burial mound. The details were modelled and incised before the clay was fired. Examinations have revealed traces of paint, and the figure was originally coloured. Haniwa were produced in large numbers in specialised workshops, and thousands could stand around a single large burial mound.
Haniwa probably had several functions. They marked the boundary of the grave, protected the dead and displayed the deceased’s power and retinue. An old Japanese chronicle relates that haniwa were introduced as a substitute for people who would otherwise have been buried with a ruler, but the story is regarded as a legend without historical foundation.
The Kofun period takes its name from the great burial mounds, kofun, built for the elite. Some of them are among the largest burial monuments in the world and are shaped like a keyhole when seen from above. Haniwa figures provide important knowledge about this period, since there are few written sources.
In modern times haniwa have been admired for their simple, expressive form. Artists and designers have drawn inspiration from them, and they have become popular figures in Japanese popular culture. The warrior from Gunma was the first haniwa to be designated a National Treasure and is one of the best known.