House-shaped haniwa (terracotta clay figure)

House-shaped haniwa are haniwa patterned after dwellings, storehouses, and other home structures. This artifact was excavated from burial mound no. 1 at the Koshimaezuka Kofun (in Kanocho, Nagahama City) and is dated to the middle of the Kofun period (around the mid-5th century). The artifact depicts the shape of a house in detail, including an apparently thatched gabled roof, two windows in the building, and even what seems to be rectangular openwork on the entrance on the side. The entire object is painted red. Burial mound no. 1 is a small-scale, round burial mound 12 meters in diameter. Based on the excavation of this house-shaped haniwa, the person buried there is thought to have been an important person.