Haniwa of dogs were often accompanied by haniwa of deer and wild boars, These were lined up outside of tombs to represent hunting scenes. Yet this example of a dog haniwa is not the fierce creature one would expect to find participating in a hunt: there is no tension to his form, and his expression is perfectly innocent, almost childlike. One senses the benevolent spirit of the person who made it. 
Object label 

Haniwa of dogs were often accompanied by haniwa of wild boars and deer; these were lined up outside of tombs to represent hunting scenes. Yet this example of a dog haniwa is not the fierce creature one would expect to find participating in a hunt: there is no tension to his form, and his expression is perfectly innocent, almost childlike. One senses the benevolent spirit of the person who made it.
 
YOSHIZAWA SatoruEnglish by Mary Lewine 
Buddhist Art Paradise: Jewels of the Nara National Museum. Nara National Museum, 2021.7, p.329, no.244.