Simple facts
Name: Honeywa Dancer
What it is: Clay tube topped with clay sculptures
Birthplace: Japan
When it was made: 6th century
During the Kohun period (300-710) of Japanese history, people buried their dead in large mounds with many graves. Scattered around the mound were objects known as “Honeywa.”
Known as “dancing people” or “honey terracotta dancers”, these two honey monkeys are found in the collection of the Tokyo National Museum. They were discovered in 1930 during the excavation of an ancient cemetery in a seasonal prefecture in northern Tokyo and are thought to have been made about 1,500 years ago.
According to the Tokyo National Museum, the honeywa was made throughout the Kohun period and was used only as a decoration for graves. Originally a simple clay cylinder, the honeywa became more elaborate over time as it was topped with figures including humans, animals, houses, armor and boats. They were used to mark serious boundaries, and some honeywas were thought to hold the soul of the deceased.
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The dancers’ honeywas are especially impressive due to their simplicity. Their mouths and eyes are holes, which make them appear to be wide open. Their arms look like sticks, and their upper bodies end at a cylinder base under a thin belt. With their curved arms and mouths open, some researchers came to conclude that they were singers or dancers.
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In a 2008 study on dancers, archaeologist Yoshio Negata suggested that the pair could be male and female. Negata suggested that the honeywa could represent a male farmer, as the smaller one has clay on the sides of the head, suggesting a farmer’s hairstyle. Another theory raised by archaeologist Yoshimichida in a 2007 study suggested that Honiwa could portray a herd of two men holding the horse’s reins.
Because each tomb was surrounded by many of these objects, thousands of honeywa were found in ancient Japanese cemeteries.
However, video game enthusiasts may recognize Honiwa from the 21st century context. In the game “Animal Crossing,” the “gyroid” that players can dig out is called “Honiwa” in the Japanese version and is based on ancient clay sculptures.
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