Experts have found a clay figure at Nishikaminomiya, northwest of Tokyo in Japan. It comes from a burial hill about 1,500 years old. They think it shows a woman who led religious activities and guarded a tomb.
Only the head and upper body remain. These parts are about 40 centimetres tall, so the whole figure was once much larger. The team found it in a ditch around the burial hill. The hill measures about 45 metres across.
The team also found a boat-shaped box for a dead body inside the hill. They think the figure first stood near this box and later slipped down into the ditch. The woman's hair sits in a knot on her head. This helped experts understand her religious role.
The figure has clay rings around both wrists, with red colour on them. It also has carefully shaped fingers, a large nose and a red band painted across its body. Its left hand holds a stick-like object for religious activities.
Women in this role led activities for the dead and gave people religious help. The team has worked at the site since 2020. The figure is now in a museum at Gunma's archaeological research centre in Shibukawa.
