JAPAN: During the 1st millennium A.D., Japanese aristocrats were sometimes buried in sumptuous tombs alongside ritual statues known as haniwa. These were mostly made from terracotta, but on rare occasions were carved from wood. The largest known wooden haniwa was recently uncovered near the Minegazuka Kofun mound in Habikino. Dating to the 5th century A.D., the 11-foot-tall figure was recovered from a moat that surrounded the 315-foot-long monumental tomb.