Honda Shiratori Haniwa Production Site
The is an archaeological site with the ruins of a Kofun period factory for the production of "haniwa" clay funerary pottery, located in what is now the Hakucho neighborhood of the city of Habikino in Osaka Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. It received protection as a National Historic Site in 1973, with the area under protection expanded in 1975. Overview. The Honda Shiratori site is located in between the Konda Mitoyama Kofun (tomb of Emperor Ōjin) and the Hakayama Kofun in the Furuichi Kofun Cluster, and was the location where the thousands of  haniwa used in these, and other burial mounds in the area. The kilns are divided into two groups, with a total of eleven kiln thus far located. Each has a width of about 1.5 meters, length of about 7 meters, and is at an inclination of about 12 degrees on the slope of a hill. Only a part of each base, the fire mouth, flue and the ash field have survived. Most of the artifacts found are cylindrical "haniwa" pieces, but figurative "haniwa" pieces of various types have also been found. Nearby. the foundation pillars of several raised-floor buildings  in orderly rows were found. It is possible that into the Nara period, when "haniwa" were no longer being produced, the site became the location of the district office for ancient Furuichi District. The remains of a Haji ware workshop from the Nara period have also been found. At present, the site is now an archaeological park with one of the kilns restored to its original appearance. The site is about a 10-minute walk from Furuichi Station on the Kintetsu Railway Minami Osaka Line.