Haniwa in the form of a warrior

This earthenware figure stands erect in complete warrior’s gear: riveted helmet, shoulder plates, armlets, and sword. His belted armor flares over billowing trousers tied below the knee.

Figures like this one were arranged atop the enormous burial mounds (kofun) constructed for Japan’s social elite from the third through early seventh centuries.

Early tombs featured rows of clay cylinders, known as haniwa, arranged around a central burial pit. Later, haniwa were placed around the terraced sides of funerary mounds, and by the mid-fifth century figural sculptures in the shapes of warriors, female shamans, and entertainers began to appear atop tombs.

The detailed treatment of this warrior’s armor and weaponry is thought to indicate the high status of his profession within society. At the end of the Kofun period, similar military items were buried within tombs.