BELIEFS AND CURIOSITIES · 01

Ritual and religion

The buried bells and the accounts of Himiko offer indications of beliefs and ceremonies, but not a complete explanation.

Museum documentation · free public access, no account required.

Contextual detail of The Kamo Iwakura dōtaku deposit, associated with the Ritual and religion card — **DECLARED VISUAL RECONSTRUCTION · AI-GENERATED IMAGE · TRACEKEEPERS**
Generated reconstruction · Declared visual hypothesis
Declared visual reconstruction; not a photograph of the original nor documentary evidence.

History and context

Dōtaku with thin walls evolved from sound bells into objects of visual display. Burying thirty-nine together at Kamo Iwakura was a deliberate action, although it is unknown whether it closed, protected or transferred authority.

Himiko is described by a Chinese expression related to spiritual practices. Translating it simply as 'shaman' can obscure the Wei perspective and the combination of ritual, diplomacy and government.

Evidence and interpretation

Documented fact: Bronze deposits, ceremonial enclosures and the Wei chronicle document public ritual and religious authority. Interpretation and caution: Do not invent deities, liturgies, sacrifices or acoustic function for late dōtaku without contextual evidence.

Catalogue facts

Scope: Ritual and religion
Culture: Yayoi and ancient Japan
Reference part: The dōtaku deposit at Kamo Iwakura
Reading: Fact and interpretation are presented on separate layers

A closer look

About 1 min to read · 1 section. Further reading and sources · free access. Editorial review recorded: September 5, 2026.

Pottery faces and secondary burials

In Nozawa, Tochigi, some Yayoi vessels incorporated a modelled human face. The University of Tokyo Museum links this feature to the Jōmon figurine tradition and notes that, according to available documentation, one of its specimens comes from a secondary burial. In this practice, the final deposit does not necessarily coincide with the first treatment of the corpse. The piece allows expanding religion beyond western bronzes: body, memory and image were also articulated through clay vessels, within connections between Kantō and southern Tōhoku.

Museum · University Museum, University of Tokyo · Yayoi pottery of the Kanto RegionAccess recorded: September 5, 2026.

Location and territory

REGIONAL AREA

From Kyūshū towards western and eastern Japan with uneven rhythmsFrom Kyūshū towards western and eastern Japan with uneven rhythms. The footprint indicates the orientative centre of the area, not a boundary nor an exact point.

Sources and references

Expand this belief or curiosity on its sources

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