haniwa; hollow unglazed terracotta figure from the Kofun period
Refers to the clay figures placed on ancient Japanese burial mounds (kofun). The term is often left untranslated in English archaeological contexts.
Many haniwa were arranged around the ancient burial mound.
Standard kanji spelling; the only written form.
From 埴 “clay” and 輪 “ring.” The name originally referred particularly to the ring-shaped or cylindrical clay forms placed around burial mounds, and was later extended to the associated clay figures.