The poster of exhibition.

• Date: 2025/09/30 – 2026/03/01

• Location: Exhibition Hall I, Shihsanhang Museum of Archaeology 

• Content: 

        This exhibition showcases the burial practices and unearthed artifacts of Taiwan's Shihsanhang culture and Japan's Kofun period in Kyushu.   It offers fresh insight into the societies, external exchanges, and perspectives on life between 1,700 and 1,300 years ago.   Despite the different social systems in Taiwan and Japan, striking similarities emerge, revealing the richness and diversity of cultural connections between Taiwan and its neighboring regions.

Rest in Peace

        A tomb is more than a resting place—it is another home for the departed, a mirror of daily life, and a concrete expression of social identity and beliefs about existence.

        In southern Kyushu during the Kofun period, burial mounds were built through collective effort, their size and form determined by the rank of emperors and local elites.   These earthen mounds came in many shapes—square, round, scallop-shaped, or the distinctive keyhole form.   The keyhole-shaped mound, unique to Japan, marked the highest status, while underground horizontal stone chambers reflected the regional traditions of southern Kyushu.   Atop the mounds, haniwa figures—shaped like houses, boats, animals, people, or objects—were placed to guard the tombs and to represent the world of the living carried into the afterlife.   In contrast, the Shihsanhang people of Taiwan, who had not yet developed a stratified society, often buried their dead in pits dug near their homes.   The deceased were laid in a crouched, fetal-like position, turned to the side and facing the sea.   This posture may have symbolized a belief in rebirth or a return to the embrace of ancestral spirits.

Feasts of Eternity

        Food has always been at the heart of human life—not only a necessity for survival, but also an instinctive act of care and devotion.   During Japan's Kofun period, vessels such as haji ware and sue ware were used to present food and drink to the deceased or to accompany ritual ceremonies.   In northern Taiwan, the Shihsanhang people likewise placed pottery filled with offerings—or arranged food directly—beside the departed.   Across these traditions lies a common intention: to bless the dead with warmth and sustenance in the spirit world or in the life beyond. such practices reveal a timeless belief that food is not merely nourishment, but the very essence of life itself.

Ornament with Beauty

        In both the Shihsanhang culture of Taiwan and Japan's Kofun period, the departed were often elegantly adorned or buried with treasured ornaments carefully placed alongside them.   Crafted from glass, agate, gold, silver, and bronze, these objects were more than decoration.   Their rarity and cultural weight elevated them into symbols of prestige, authority, and social identity, while also serving spiritual and ceremonial purposes.

        For the Kofun elite, shell bracelets were among the most prized accessories, embodying both wealth and sacred value.   Glass ornaments, however, captivated both Kofun society and the Shihsanhang people alike.   Brought across the seas through maritime trade networks, these brilliantly colored beads and rings dazzled the eye and quickly became the most coveted fashion statement of their time.

Symbols of Power

        Beyond their practical use, particular objects carried profound cultural meaning, symbolizing authority, rank, and power.   During Japan's Kofun period, bronze mirrors symbolized the ruler's authority, while iron weapons and armor represented the strength of political and military might.   Buried within the tombs, these items proclaimed the prestige and influence the deceased once held in life.

        In contrast, the Shihsanhang culture had not yet developed a highly stratified society.   Instead, status can be inferred from the quantity and rarity of burial goods.   Distinctive artifacts such as human-faced pottery jars or finely crafted pumpkin-ribbed vessels, as well as rare imports like camel-patterned bronze plaques or bronze sword hilts, signaled the standing and influence of the individual they accompanied.

Continuity of Life, Sustainability of Culture

        The square and circular shapes of the tombs represent a microcosm of the society at that time, the relationships between people, cultural exchanges and trade flows, and at the same time, a projection of the concept of life. 

        The forms of people and objects will eventually vanish, but the cultural connotations will continue to be passed on, and the story of life will continue into the future in its own unique way.