National Treasures & Important Cultural Properties
of National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Japan

This haniwa is a tomb sculpture of a man clothed in finery. The tachi sword at his waist and the gauntlets on his forearms seem to suggest military attire. However, the bells decorating his hat, along with his necklace and clothes, make it more likely that he is a highly ranked person dressing up, rather than a warrior. Historians believe that finely dressed haniwa men like this one represent either the deceased buried in the mound or a high-ranking person among the deceased’s funerary procession. His headdress with bells, the ties that bind his long hair in the sage-mizura hairstyle, and his necklace show us how men adorned themselves for special occasions. This figurine retains features that do not normally survive to the modern day, such as the upper body garment tied together across the front, the lower trousers bound around the knees, and the shoes. Taken together, these details reveal much about attire from the Kofun period (3rd–7th century), making this an important artifact to study.

The object comes with a note claiming that it had been excavated from the Kamitakeshi (Gōshi) Tenjinyama tumulus in Isesaki, Gunma. Once measuring 127 meters, this burial mound was a keyhole-shaped tumulus from the late Kofun period. However, it had been repeatedly leveled off before the Pacific War by farmers who cultivated its earth. From the 1960s to the early 1970s, earth from the mound was dug up for the construction of an industrial park, almost completely flattening it, destroying the tumulus as a result. The prewar earth-removal operations famously turned up a variety of funerary figurines in excellent condition. Among these were a warrior, a woman, a farmer, a dog, a musician, and 4 designated Important Cultural Properties of Japan: a rooster, a deer, a boar, and this man. These haniwa are now owned by institutions such as Tokyo National Museum, the Gunma Prefectural Museum of History, and the Tohoku History Museum.

This figurine once belonged to Matsubara Masanari, a longtime conservator at the Imperial Museum (the precursor to Tokyo National Museum). An avid collector of haniwa, he used to own a few of the artifacts found at the Kamitakeshi Tenjinyama tumulus. His collection included this piece and the deer currently in the possession of Kyushu National Museum, as well as the haniwa dog and boar now owned by Tokyo National Museum. While in Matsubara’s possession, some of these objects were designated Important Cultural Properties. After leaving his collection, this male figurine made its way to an antique dealer who sold it to another private collector, who then kept it for many years. The exquisite beauty and excellent condition of this important artifact embody the essence of late-Kofun-period haniwa production in the Ueno region (present-day Gunma and Tochigi).

By Ozawa Yoshinori, 2024/Translated by Rachel Lam, Edited by Sheila Ryan