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- Haniwa Head
terracotta
Yamato period, 4th/5th century ht. 22.2 cm
Gift of Mrs. Marjorie Finlayson
The actual religious significance of hani�wa is not clear. They were placed around ancient burial mounds, perhaps, to mark sacred ground.
and practices. From Confucianism it derived the values of ancestral worship, filial piety and loyalty. As well as the Chinese concept that the emperor, as the Son of Heaven, was mandated to rule benevolently. Buddhism, which arrived from India via China and Korea, brought with it a highly developed written and artistic tradition, which Shinto lacked. Following Buddhism, Shinto also began creating concrete representations of divinities, in statues and paintings, to aid in worship. Contact with these religions formalized Shinto practices and instigated the development of its own art, architecture, clergy, and rituals.
Buddhism, once it gained a foothold in Japan, adapted to Japanese tastes, accepting Shinto gods as reincarnations of Buddhist deities. By the eighth century it had completely overshadowed Shinto to becomethe chief religion of
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