Tomb Sculpture (Haniwa): Dressed-Up Woman

Full-length depictions of [haniwa] tomb sculptures depicting women have rarely been found, making this [haniwa] a rare example. This woman is dressed in lavish attire with earrings and beaded accessories. This is a female haniwa, or terracotta tomb figurine. She wears a long pleated skirt and a jacket with a design of overlapping semi-circles. This custom of wearing separate garments on the upper and lower parts of the body first began on the Japanese archipelago during the Kofun period, which lasted from around the 3rd to the 7th century, so this haniwa serves as a symbol of the new cultures coming over from China and the Korean peninsula at that time. The thin lines over the shoulders suggests she is wearing a sleeveless jacket over a long-sleeved blouse.

Her long hair is tied up in a characteristic topknot style. On her forehead are traces of where a comb was used to fix the topknot in place. The large earrings also catch the eye. They seem a beautiful combination of metal hoops with stone and glass beads. She also sports a necklace and bracelets. Most female haniwa are depicted in half-length but this is a rare example of a full-length female. This, together with the gorgeous adornments, suggest she must be a woman of very high social standing. She is standing motionless and straight. This also suggests she is participating in a funeral procession or some kind of ritual, though we cannot be sure.

— Museum description: Tokyo National Museum (CC BY 4.0), via ColBase / Japan Search.