A human-shaped haniwa excavated in Isesaki, Gunma Prefecture, will be shown to the public for the first time from October 28, 2026. The display will run for one month in the second-floor exhibition room at the prefectural archaeological research center in Shibukawa, with Saturday closures.
The figure was found in the surrounding moat of a burial mound at the Nishikaminomiya site. Its head and torso survive, and the prefecture identifies it as a female ritual specialist wearing a tasuki sash. Dated to the late fifth century, it is an early example of human-shaped haniwa in Gunma.
Haniwa are clay figures associated with ancient burial mounds, and human figures help researchers study clothing and customs of the period. Eleven burial mounds have been identified at the site during excavations connected with Tone River improvement works. The excavation site itself is not scheduled to open to the public.
群馬・西上之宮遺跡の人物埴輪、10月28日から初公開
群馬県は、伊勢崎市の西上之宮遺跡で見つかった人物埴輪を、2026年10月28日から1か月間、渋川市の県埋蔵文化財調査センター発掘情報館2階で初公開する。土曜日は休館。古墳の周堀から出土し、頭部と胴体が残る。県によると、襷をかけた巫女を表し、5世紀後半の県内でも古い段階の人物埴輪という。埴輪は古墳に伴う粘土製の造形物で、人物像は当時の服装や習慣を知る手掛かりになる。遺跡では利根川の河川改修に伴う調査で11基の古墳を確認しているが、発掘現場の一般公開は予定されていない。