Photo/Illutration Private viewing attendees admire the "Warrior in 'Keiko' Armor" at the Tokyo National Museum in Tokyo's Ueno district on Oct. 15. (Noriko Yamamoto)

An exhibition of ancient clay "haniwa" figures discovered around Japan kicked off on Oct. 16 at the Tokyo National Museum in Tokyo's Ueno district.

Sponsored by The Asahi Shimbun and other organizations, a private viewing was held on Oct. 15.

The exhibition commemorates the 50th anniversary of one particular statue's designation as a national treasure. "Warrior in Keiko Armor" dates to the sixth century and was excavated from the Iizukacho district within Ota city, Gunma Prefecture. 

The artifact is considered a masterpiece among haniwa that served as funerary decorations at "kofun" burial mounds across various regions of the country from around the fourth to seventh centuries.

Around 120 haniwa were selected for the exhibition. 

One highlight is a corner display of the "Warrior in Keiko Armor" and four other warrior haniwa that can be viewed at different angles.

All five are believed to have been made at the same studio in what is now Gunma Prefecture and are sometimes called siblings because of their similar appearances. 

Normally, they are housed at different museums in Japan and the Seattle Art Museum in the United States. 

There is also a full-scale replica of the national treasure with its original coloring restored. It was discovered during an examination conducted along with the statue's dismantling and repair work that it used to be white, red and gray. 

These are not the only warriors on display as visitors can see figures from the keyhole-shaped Imashirozuka Kofun in Takatsuki, Osaka Prefecture. Soldiers as well as shield-shaped haniwa were found there.

However, haniwa do not exclusively depict figures of battle. Other statues chosen for the exhibition include women offering gifts and house-shaped haniwa that were also excavated at the same tomb.

Additionally, there is a display featuring two rows of over a dozen haniwa of fish, dogs, cow, deer and horses.

The exhibition will be held until Dec. 8. Once concluded, the pieces will be transported to the Kyushu National Museum in Dazaifu, Fukuoka Prefecture, where they will be exhibited from January 2025.

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