Archaeologists excavating a fifth-century burial mound at Nishikaminomiya, northwest of Tokyo, have unearthed a clay figure believed to represent a female religious leader who guarded a tomb. Its traditional topknot hairstyle is a key indication that it depicts a priestess associated with Japan's Shinto religion.
Only the head and torso survive, together measuring approximately 40 centimetres in height; the intact sculpture would therefore have been substantially larger. Discovered in a ditch surrounding a mound roughly 45 metres in diameter, the figure is thought to have originally stood near a boat-shaped sarcophagus, or coffin, found within the mound. Archaeologists suggest that it gradually slipped downhill into the ditch.
The sculpture features clay bracelets with red pigment on both wrists, carefully modelled fingers and a prominent nose. A red sash is painted across its torso, while its left hand holds a rod-shaped ceremonial implement. According to Gunma prefectural government representatives, this workmanship demonstrates attention even to features that would have been difficult to distinguish at a distance.
The site contains nearly a dozen burial mounds dating from the fifth and sixth centuries. During this period, clay sculptures served as offerings to the dead and were often believed to contain the deceased's souls. Priestesses acted as intermediaries between human and spiritual realms, conducting important funeral rituals and providing spiritual guidance.
Excavations at Nishikaminomiya have been under way since 2020. The newly discovered figure is currently exhibited at the Excavation Information Museum of the Gunma Prefectural Archaeological Research Centre in Shibukawa.
