Fragmentary haniwa cylinder
Unknown Artist
5th–6th century
Medium
Clay
Dimensions
H. 16 1/2 in. (41.9 cm); Diam. 8 1/2 in. (21.6 cm)
Classification
Sculpture
Culture & Period
Japan · Kofun period (ca. 300–710)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Asia Society, 1981
Accession Number
1981.244.2
Art Historical Context
This fragmentary haniwa cylinder, crafted from clay during Japan's Kofun period (ca. 300–710 CE), offers a glimpse into one of the earliest forms of sculptural art in East Asia. Dating to the 5th–6th century it stands about 16½ inches tall and 8½ inches in diameter, its simple cylindrical shape typical of haniwa—unglazed earthenware objects placed around massive keyhole-shaped burial mounds known as kofun. These mounds, built for elite warriors and chieftains, symbolized power and marked the transition from Yayoi to an emerging Yamato state, foreshadowing imperial Japan. Haniwa like this one ...