Japanese Haniwa Burial Pottery Figure Kofun Period

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A rare Japanese Haniwa full body dancing figure from Kofun Period (3rd to 6th Centuries AD). Haniwa means "circle of … Read more A rare Japanese Haniwa full body dancing figure from Kofun Period (3rd to 6th Centuries AD). Haniwa means "circle of clay" in Japanese. The figures were made from terracotta clay for ritual use as funerary objects, and they were created according to the wazumi technique, in which mounds of coiled clay were built up to shape the figure, layer by layer, and dried into a coarse hard clay. Unglazed and fired in low temperature, haniwa were typically cylinders in shape and hollow figurative pieces (human and animals) that were arranged on and around the mounded tombs (kofun) of the Japanese elite from the late Yayoi period.
This dancing figure, presumably dated to 6th century AD, is of a typical cylinder shape with two short arms extending out and round eyes and mouth opening to reveal the hollow interior. The body features two rings suggestive of the attire and one shows a tied tassel at the waste. The nose has a high ridge, adding a mysterious alien look to the piece. Some suggest that the specific coiffure indicate the male gender. The surface shows rather conspicuous combed lines and a rather aged patina in general. The figure displays a post-modern quality, which interestingly contrasts its age.
For a similar pair of Haniwa figure, see object J21428 in the collection of the Tokyo National Museum excavated in Nohara, Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture. See less