New Thoughts on Wall Paintings in Japan’s Kyushu Tombs - Archaeology Magazine

New Thoughts on Wall Paintings in Japan’s Kyushu Tombs - Archaeology Magazine

Entrance to Nabeta rock-cut tomb, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan VENICE, ITALY—According to a Phys.org report, a new study of the paintings in southern Japan’s Kyushu tombs conducted by Claudia Zancan of Ca’Foscari University suggests that the images are not portraits of the dead, but anonymous figures who symbolize the journey undertaken by any dead person. Dated to the sixth and seventh century A.D., the tombs are horizontal stone chambers that co…