Tomb Sculpture ("Haniwa"): Boar

Unknown artist

Kofun period, 5th–6th century

Earthenware

Tokyo National Museum

A terracotta Haniwa sculpture of a boar stands on a plain gray background. The sculpture has four legs, a body, a head with a snout, and holes in its sides and head. This boar-shaped [haniwa] sculpture was probably influenced by the facial features of horse-shaped equivalents. It does not capture the typical features of a boar; only the mane on the back suggests it is this animal. Findspot: Found at the Ryōsai Site, Osaka Donor: Gift of Mr. Ito Fukutsugu and Mr. Tachibana Kiichiro