The Shibayama Kofun and Haniwa Museum is located in Shibayama Town, Sambu District, Chiba Prefecture. The museum introduces the rich archaeological heritage of the area’s kofun burial mounds and haniwa clay figures, offering visitors an easy-to-understand and enjoyable look at the Kofun period from a modern perspective.
The museum opened on May 1, 1988, and stands within Shibayama Park. Its exhibits focus on the kofun burial mounds built around Shibayama from approximately the 5th through 8th centuries, as well as artifacts excavated from these ancient sites.
Chiba Prefecture is one of Japan’s major areas for kofun. It has the largest number of keyhole-shaped kofun in Japan, with 677 confirmed examples according to the source information. Haniwa and other archaeological artifacts discovered from the region’s many burial mounds provide valuable clues about the daily life, beliefs, technology, and culture of ancient Japan.
The first exhibition room provides an accessible introduction to kofun culture in Chiba Prefecture and the wider Kanto region. Photographs and explanatory panels help visitors understand the basic characteristics of burial mounds and haniwa.
The displays are designed to be enjoyable for everyone, including local elementary school students and visitors discovering Japanese archaeology for the first time. The museum uses a style that can be appreciated almost like a “virtual museum”, allowing visitors to explore the ancient world through visual materials and explanations.
The second exhibition room explores the daily life and technology of the Kofun period through the results of experimental archaeology.
Rather than simply displaying artifacts, the exhibits use modern research and reconstruction to explain how people in ancient Japan may have lived and worked. This gives visitors an opportunity to understand the techniques and lifestyles of the period from a practical perspective.
The third exhibition room introduces the methods used in archaeological investigations and the process through which researchers study ancient sites.
One of its distinctive features is a large map showing the distribution of kofun in Shibayama Town. Viewed from above, the map allows visitors to imagine the landscape from the perspective of a giant, making it easier to understand the concentration and distribution of ancient burial mounds.
During the Kofun period, the Boso Peninsula was divided into 11 ancient provinces. The area around present-day Shibayama belonged to one known as Musa-no-Kuni.
Today, approximately 279 kofun remain within Shibayama Town, including burial mounds measuring more than 70 meters in length.
Ancient settlements were often established on elevated land near rivers. People engaged in activities such as rice cultivation and religious ceremonies. Powerful individuals were buried in large kofun, and rows of haniwa were placed around the burial mounds as part of funerary practices.
These archaeological remains provide an important window into the beliefs, social structure, and everyday life of ancient communities on the Boso Peninsula.
Various types of haniwa have been excavated from this round burial mound. Among them are figures that provide clues about the appearance, clothing, and equipment of people during the Kofun period.
Asahinooka Kofun is one of the largest burial mounds in Shibayama Town. Excavations have uncovered figurative haniwa depicting warriors and women.
This burial mound produced examples of what are known as Shimōsa-style haniwa. These figures are relatively simple in design, with features such as short arms and simply shaped noses.
The characteristics of these haniwa provide evidence of cultural influences and connections between different regions during the Kofun period.
Every November, the area hosts the Shibayama Haniwa Festival. The event features performances and activities inspired by the Kofun period, bringing the world of ancient Japan to life in a way that visitors can experience directly.
The festival also plays an important role in introducing Shibayama’s archaeological heritage and local culture to visitors from outside the area.
Shibayama’s kofun and haniwa heritage is also incorporated into regional tourism initiatives. The area has participated in tourism promotion activities associated with the Narita International Tourism Model District promoted by Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Shibayama Kofun and Haniwa Museum provides an accessible introduction to one of Japan’s most fascinating archaeological periods. Its exhibits range from the basics of kofun and haniwa to reconstructed clothing and houses, archaeological research methods, and artifacts excavated from local burial mounds.
For international visitors, haniwa are particularly interesting because these clay figures offer a direct visual connection to people, animals, clothing, rituals, and beliefs from more than a thousand years ago.
Combined with the surrounding kofun sites and the annual Shibayama Haniwa Festival, the museum is an excellent place to learn about the ancient history of Chiba and gain a deeper understanding of Japan’s Kofun period.