The is an archaeological site with the ruins of a Kofun period factory for the production of "haniwa" clay funerary ceramics, located in what is now the city of Hitachinaka in Ibaraki Prefecture in the northern Kantō region of Japan. It received protection as a National Historic Site in 1969, with the area under protection expanded in 1975.
Overview.
The Mawatari site is located on the banks of the Hongo River, a tributary of the Naka River. Per an archaeological excavation conducted in 1965, 25 clay mining pits, 12 workshops, two pit dwellings, and 19 kilns were found in three locations on a plateau overlooking long and narrow paddy fields. Above these ruins, two middens filled with shards of "haniwa" were also identified. The site has been excavated some 20 times from 1965 to 1991, and many "haniwa" in various configurations, including cylindrical, horse-shaped, and human-shaped as wells the iron tools used by craftsmen have been found. The site is believed to date from the end of the 5th century to the 6th century AD.
The Kasaya Kofun Group, the Torazuka Kofun Group, and the Nagahori Kofun Group are located about two kilometers from this site, which is considered to be the source of "haniwa" used at those tumuli. The site has been backfilled after excavations, and the area is open to the public as the . It is located a five-minute walk from the "Mawatari" bus stop on the Ibaraki Kotsu Bus from Katsuta Station on the JR East Jōban Line.
References.
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