Haniwa

In this work by the versatile modern painter Tsuji Kakō, a tall, stylized haniwa figure—rendered in delicate, overlapping washes of ink and cinnabar—is accompanied by two additional tomb objects: a pair of stoneware dishes with tall feet. Shortly before Kakō took up this subject, construction had begun on the mausoleum of the recently deceased Emperor Meiji (1852–1912) at Fushimi, in Kyoto, where reconstructed haniwa were installed. The ancient craft of haniwa making, dormant for more than a millennium, was revived, and newspapers buzzed with reports of the new sculptures of this type being produced by the artist Yoshida Hakurei (1871–1942). Haniwa thus once again captured the popular imagination, evoking Japan’s distant past while resonating with the spirit of a rapidly changing present. Although haniwa have rarely become the subject of Japanese paintings, Tsuji created multiple works depicting these recognizable prehistoric figures, including an award-winning pair of screens painted in 1917 and now owned by the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto.

Haniwa are low-fired earthenware figures associated with Japan’s prehistoric Kofun period (ca. 300–710)— e.g., 1975.268.414 and 1975.268.416. They were made to line the perimeter of the keyhole shaped tombs, kofun, from which the historical period takes its name. Although some took simple cylindrical forms, many represented humans (as here), animals, buildings, and tools. Haniwa are immensely popular today in Japan, where they are regularly displayed at museums and recreated in animation or even as plush dolls.