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Haniwa
The placement and usage of haniwa
around the tombs of nobles changed continually during the Kofun
era (250-600 a.d.),
until both they and the mound tomb structure disappeared after
the introduction and spread of Buddhism and its related burial
practices in the seventh century. All haniwa functioned as
decoration for the tomb mound, and they would have been visible
from a distance. Archaeological evidence, in contradiction to
early historical texts, does not support the idea that figural
haniwa replaced the live burial of servants, companions, and
retainers along with a noble. Researchers now believe that the
Chinese practice of burying clay figures was transmitted to
Japan during this period without the intervening step of live
interment. Placing ceramic vessels in the tomb preceded the use
of haniwa and may have been a source of inspiration.
Early tombs with figural haniwa
had concentrated groupings of houses, weapons, and ritual
sunshade forms near the top of the mound over the burial
chamber, with anthropomorphic shapes placed closer to the
surrounding moat. Somewhat later, in the Kyoto-Nara area, haniwa
were often set in a rectangular arrangement at the crest of the
mound, while in eastern Japan they might follow the contour at
the base of the mound. Haniwa of a particular type, such as
birds, cows, or houses, were usually grouped together, though
their placement was inconsistent. The constant evolution of
these practices throughout the fifth and sixth centuries has
precluded an authoritative theory about ceremonial use.
Kofun era tombs yielded three
types of ceramics: hard, gray Sue ware, closely resembling
contemporary Korean wares; gray-ware haniwa fired in Sue-type or
actual Sue kilns; and reddish, low-fired haniwa. Haniwa were
constructed from coils of clay. After smoothing and modeling the
shapes, decorative details might be incised or combed into the
surface. Some haniwa were painted. The makers of haniwa had to
travel to the tomb sites, and some may have rented local Sue
kilns to do their work. They may also have built a kiln to
produce haniwa for a single tomb, then abandoned it. Other
haniwa makers lived in villages with a number of kilns producing
only haniwa, and they transported their products by boat to
tombs in the area. The work-done upon the death of a noble-:had
to be completed quickly. The simplicity of their design, which
imbues the haniwa with a mysterious quietness as we stare into
their hollow eyes, may have resulted from the rapidity with
which large numbers of figures needed to be created for the
tomb.
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