Photo/Illutration The "Warrior in Keiko Armor" displayed at a haniwa exhibition at the Tokyo National Museum in Tokyo's Ueno district on Oct. 15 (Noriko Yamamoto)

Would it sound strange to say I was enlightened when I went recently to Ueno to meet "haniwa"?

Haniwa are terracotta clay figures that were made during the Kofun Period (3rd to 7th centuries), presumably as funerary objects.

I visited the Tokyo National Museum where a special exhibition is being held for the first time in half a century, titled "Haniwa: Tomb Sculptures of Japan."

On display were a plethora of intriguingly shaped artifacts that were fashioned by people who lived in the Japanese archipelago a long time ago.

As everyone knows, all haniwa figurines have gentle, kind expressions on their faces. Why is that?

"The Kofun Period must have been peaceful," said Masanori Kawano, 43, the museum's chief researcher. "I imagine society of that period enjoyed a high enough level of freedom for people to express feelings of mellowness and tranquility."

True, in times of constant war or turbulence, people would not be able to build massive "kofun" burial mounds or haniwa.

Haniwa figures are surprisingly varied, including people pulling horses, dancing, kneeling, wrestling, and so on and so forth. There are animal haniwa as well, such as deer and monkeys.

Why were they made? Why are some dancing? Endless questions popped up in my mind. But they remain unanswered for lack of written records.

As to why some haniwa are grinning, there are all sorts of theories. One is that they are delighted by bumper crops. Another is that their facial expressions are meant to ward off evil.

In any case, does that mean only the haniwa themselves know the answer? That's a mildly amusing thought.

"Haniwa's appeal lies in their movement," Kawano remarked.

The arms of a haniwa woman, holding a baby, express her infinite tenderness. This timeless gesture of parental love is deeply touching.

"A split-second movement is cut out and highlighted," Kawano explained. "This process of extreme simplification is nothing short of exquisite."

Where did we come from, and where are we going? In the depth of the eyes of a haniwa with an unfathomable smile, I understood the "richness" of people who lived in ancient times.

—The Asahi Shimbun, Nov. 8

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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