Haniwa
The haniwa (, terra cotta cylinders) are funerary figurines Japan eases. One found them in many tombs of the Kofun (, kofun jidai , 3rd century at the 6th century) among all Japan. They are the subject of scientific research and archaeological since the era Edo () but are handled the least possible because they are very fragile and easily cassables.
The old sources evoking the haniwa are very few. One counts among them the Nihon Shoki (, Annales of Japan, beginning of the 8th century).
Technique of manufacture
The haniwa are clay figurines not glazed manufactured mainly according to the technique known as wasumi (or Colombin) which does not use the turn but which consists in piling up rollers of terre.At the 6th century, regroupings of specialized potters made their appearance, which centralized to some extent manufacture. The haniwa left then worms the different sites. However, whatever their source, all the figurines are hollow, as well as the eyes and the mouth of the characters and animals that they représentent.
The haniwa were also painted, as well as the walls of the funerary rooms and even of the bones. They carry in particular traces of red painting (extracted iron), in particular the features of the anthropomorphic characters. They were also decorated with white pigments (clay) and blacks (drawn from manganese) which are preserved besides badly.
Geographical location
Most of the haniwa was found in the south of Honshû () - more particularly in the Kinai (), close to Nara () - and in north of Kyûshû ().
Diversity of the forms
The shape of the offerings haniwa of the tombs evolved/moved gradually. Oldest (IVe - Ve century) were of cylindrical form, similar to large vases and cooked in small furnaces close to the monument. Then they are gradually reflected to represent various objects characteristic of a military aristocracy: armours, shields, weapons, boats, buildings… From second half of the 5th century appeared haniwa of animal and human forms: dogs, horses, birds, stags but also, sometimes being able to exceed 1,30 meters in height, warriors, musicians, dancers, priestesses…
Anthropomorphic forms, testimony of their company
Diversity, in particular of the costumes, proposes the hierarchisation of these companies. For the period of the Kofun (), a company of high aristocracy with military leaders develops. Its riders carry armours of iron and weapons, in particular of the swords, and they use military techniques projections similar to that of Asia of the North-East. Good number of them are represented in haniwa with a funerary aim.
Use of the haniwa
The haniwa are laid out in circle, generally planted in tightened alignment, around the hillocks and on their top. Apart from the decorative aspect and spiritual reasons consisting in protecting the emperor in his life in beyond, these statues were also useful like reinforcement with the slopes of the tumulus. Those which evoke characters and animals generally find at the end of the fore-part and thus make obstacle with the layman and the maléfique.
End of the Kofun period and the haniwa
The arrival of the Bouddhisme in Japan will involve the disappearance of this shape of sculptor while bringing novel modes of burial.However, even if the word haniwa defines clay statues (which are most numerous by far), one widened the direction with his use of them. Indeed, of the sculptures of stone horses (, sekiba ), men (, sekijin ) or shields were found in the north of Kyûshû (), were cut in the lava of the Aso mount (), as well as objects out of wooden (, mokuseihin ), very rare because of the difficult conservation of wood, in Kinai, and also bear the name of haniwa .
See too
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