noun
haniwa; hollow unglazed terracotta figure from the Kofun period
Refers to the clay figures placed on ancient Japanese burial mounds (kofun). The term is often left untranslated in English archaeological contexts.
古墳の周りにはたくさんの埴輪が並べられていた。
Many haniwa were arranged around the ancient burial mound.
The word 埴輪 is composed of 埴 (hani, 'clay') and 輪 (wa, 'circle'), referring to the circular arrangement of clay cylinders placed on kofun. The exact origin of the term is uncertain, but it has been used since the Edo period to describe these archaeological artifacts.