Wild Boar Piglet Clay Tomb Sculpture (Haniwa)

Haniwa (literally, “clay cylinder”) are hollow clay tomb sculptures that were produced in Japan between the third and sixth centuries. They are emblematic of the Kofun period, which takes its name from the large burial mounds (kofun) that characterized it. The sculptures were created mainly to be placed on and around the exteriors of the often keyhole-shaped tombs of kings, where they honored the life and achievements of the deceased and aided in mortuary rites. Haniwa represent a wide range of figures—including warriors, women, and animals—in addition to houses, which were believed to serve as sacred dwellings for the spirits of the dead. Dogs, deer, and boars were sometimes arranged within hunting scenes. This small hand-sculpted, piglet-shaped figure is thought to have hung from the belt of a haniwa representing a hunter.