Haniwa Head of a Dog

The Yayoi Period was succeeded by the era known as the Kofun, Tumulus, or Grave Mound Period. This era witnessed the development of communities under the centralized authority of one family. One of the features of the period was the construction of monumental tombs for its rulers. Hollow cylindrical figures such as this head from a figure of a dog, modeled with characteristic directness and simplicity, were placed around the outside of the tomb.