ANA Cargo has responded to the customers' needs by transporting various special cargo, from temperature-controlled cargo such as perishables or pharmaceuticals to delicate animals or artworks, with high quality and speed.

Among these, particularly valuable artworks are also occasionally transported. In October 2024, for the special exhibition "Haniwa" to be held at the Tokyo National Museum, the transport project to deliver the "Haniwa Warrior in Keikō Armour" from Seattle to Tokyo, which is a collection of the Seattle Art Museum in the U.S., was achieved.

The "Haniwa", which the Director of Seattle Art Museum aspired for and crossed the ocean approximately 60 years ago, is introduced at a special exhibition "Haniwa" held in Japan for the first time in half a century. The total 5 "Warriors in Keikō Armour" will be gathered together for the first time in history, including the national treasure owned by the Tokyo National Museum, 3 very similar "Haniwa", and the one from Seattle. This is the story of a historic reunion.

Tokyo National Museum

The distance between Seattle and Tokyo is approximately 7,700 km.
Upon seeing the "Haniwa" safely arriving at the Tokyo National Museum after a long journey, Mr. Kazutaka Kawano, Head of the Academic Research Department, quietly said, "I felt relieved and a sense of accomplishment to transport without any damage, which welled up in myself".

The background behind the success of the transport was due to the extraordinary passion of both ANA Cargo and the Tokyo National Museum. How could such difficulties, requiring extremely high handling skills, be overcome. Let's unravel the process.

A service safely & carefully transporting delicate cargo such as artworks & musical instruments which are difficult to handle by normal transport. We have an extensive experience of various transports handling orchestral instruments or artists' equipment, as well as for art exhibitions in both Japan & overseas.
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The supreme "Haniwa Brothers", filled with the thoughts of Japan and the U.S. Behind the scenes of a tough long-distance transport

Special exhibition, "Haniwa", held to commemorate the 50th designation anniversary of the "Haniwa Warrior in Keikō Armour" being a national treasure, owned by the Tokyo National Museum.

The history of "Haniwa" dates back to the "Kofun" period, or approximately 1,750 years ago. "Haniwa", which appeared and uniquely developed in the Japanese islands, are unglazed clay sculptures that were arranged upright around the tombs of kings, to protect and appease the souls of the dead. Not only as an archaeological resource telling about the lives of people at that time, but its unique figure has quite a few fans among the people of all ages and genders. It can be said to be a treasure of Japanese culture that unravels the history of mankind.

This "Haniwa Warrior in Keikō Armour" is the first public appearance in Japan

The transported "Haniwa Warrior in Keikō Armour" from Seattle this time is also one of the precious "Haniwa". It has a particularly realistic shape among "Haniwa", and is known as a "Brother Haniwa" that is likely to have been made by the same artist as the national treasure "Haniwa Warrior in Keikō Armour" stored in the Tokyo National Museum. There are a total of 4 "Haniwa" with the same type in Japan, 3 of which are designated as national treasures & important cultural properties. There is no doubt that the "Haniwa" transported this time is also a very precious cultural property.

The 5 "Haniwa Warrior in Keikō Armour" figures made its reunion at this special exhibition "Haniwa" for the first time in history. The sight of the 5 "Haniwa" bravely lined up is the main attraction or the highlight of this special exhibition, which is held on a larger scale than ever before.

Mr. Kawano of the Tokyo National Museum, who was involved in the transport of the "Haniwa" says, "This time's transport was a long-cherished wish for us and the Seattle Art Museum.

Mr. Kazutaka Kono, Director of the Curatorial Research Department, Tokyo National Museum

Mr. Kawano: "Haniwa Warrior in Keikō Armour" crossed the ocean from Japan approximately 60 years ago. So to speak, this time's transport is an important homecoming for the "Haniwa". The Seattle Art Museum also told us, "We want the "Haniwa" to safely meet the brothers", and we also had an extraordinary feeling about delivering it back to Japan.

Scene of the Japanese and American curators' inspection

The Seattle Art Museum is known worldwide for its collection of the Asian arts. "Haniwa Warrior in Keikō Armour" was one of the highlights of the "Ancient Oriental Art" exhibition in the Century 21 Exposition or the Seattle World's Fair (1962) with more than 10,000 visitors. The "Haniwa", which was never lent to outside parties, is as precious to the Seattle Art Museum as a son.

At the Seattle Art Museum, an X-ray CT scan was taken of the outside & inside of the "Haniwa" to investigate its deterioration. Guarantee or approval to "withstand the long-distance transport" was acquired from the Seattle Art Museum.

The unglazed & hollow "Haniwa" is vulnerable to shock & vibration, which Mr. Kawano, involved in numbers of cultural properties, calls them the "most difficult" one.

And for the painted "Haniwa", any abrasion on the surface can be a cultural loss. Hence, the packaging material was made by casting a 3D model with an X-ray CT scan, so as to create an environment to minimize vibration & impact to the possible extent. A special paper for packaging, "Usu-youshi", was brought from Japan to prevent surface abrasion and to secure breathability & moisture absorption.

To prevent the "Haniwa" from bouncing and being damaged during the transport, a partition was inserted into the bottom of the box to cushion any impact.

Mr. Kawano: "This time's transport was unprecedented, so I was very nervous. When I first contacted ANA Cargo, I was told that the son of the person in charge is a great fan and about his love for the "Haniwa", which made me very relieved. Gradually, we hit it off and strengthened our bond to succeed in the transport that no one had ever done before."

It was ANA Cargo taking on an important role in the great mission for this long-awaited transport of the "Haniwa" by both Japan & the U.S. So, how was the preparation for the transport proceeded?

Eliminate the customer's concerns by dedicated support and proposing the optimal way

ANA Cargo was in charge of sorting out the requirements for the "Haniwa" transport, preparing a transport plan, and transporting and delivering the "Haniwa" from Seattle to Japan. Upon a year and a half of close communication, an extremely robust transport system could be established.

The 2 staff who were closely involved in this transport were Satomi Yaegashi & Yasuhiro Kato, who were in charge of overall coordination & operational adjustments between the overseas airports, respectively.

From the left, Yasuhiro Kato of the Overseas Support Department, and Satomi Yaegashi of the Market Planning, Global Marketing Department.

Yaegashi: "Haniwa is very sensitive to impacts, and because of its unique shape, extremely delicate handling is required. After the consultation, many meetings with Mr. Kawano were held to identify the concerned items, while as one same team, ANA Cargo established a system providing a perfect transport environment."

There were many difficulties in transporting the "Haniwa" until the specifications were finalized. Normally, "Haniwa" is transported upright, but due to height restrictions of the "Boeing 787-8" passenger aircraft which ANA operates to Seattle, it was not possible to transport them in this way.

Therefore, loading onto a freighter aircraft was considered, but in that case, it had to be transported on the surface for a distance of more than 1,000 km to Chicago or Los Angeles, where ANA's freighter was in operation. Considering the strain on the "Haniwa", transporting it laid down on a direct flight from Seattle was proposed.

ANA Cargo then verified the conditions for transporting the "Haniwa" sideways by repeatedly conducting simulations, and successfully making it possible to transport it in such a way. There were different opinions due to variance of the airport facilities & equipment used on a daily basis between the U.S. and Japan, but by thoroughly listening to each other and discussing the matter, both sides finally were able to agree on the "Haniwa" transport.

"It took quite a while to finalize the transport policy. It was necessary for the U.S. side to be involved with the transport having the same mindset, by deepening their knowledge or understanding of the "Haniwa". In this process, there were some intents or meanings that could not be accurately conveyed in English, or rules or conditions varying by each country. For such a reason, based on close communication with Mr. Kawano discussing the best way, together with the U.S. staff, various simulations were run assuming any accident occurrence."

Because of ANA Cargo, having its own bases in overseas airports and being able to communicate closely, this could be realized. Starting from the security inspection, the timeline of each handling process was thoroughly adjusted, and the transport plan was flawless.

Eliminate the customer's concerns by dedicated support, and proposing the best way

And this time, the biggest fear was to damage the "Haniwa" caused by impact or vibration. Not only during the transport process inside the aircraft, but also such as the transfer from the Seattle Art Museum, delivery to the airport, unloading from the truck, and build-up in the warehouse, each scene must be minimized in terms of the impact risks.

Kato: "Based on the prediction of impact to be applied in each scene, detailed inspection was repeated to minimize the damage to the "Haniwa" as close to zero as possible.
To avoid any discrepancy in understanding with the local staff, a monitoring system for the entire process, from build-up to loading, was also established."

When towing the cargo to the shipside, if there is a gap between the pallet with the shipment built-up and the transferring equipment, there is a possibility to add impacts by the move of the cargo caused by acceleration & deceleration. Even minor concerns were eradicated by inserting cushioning materials to cover the gap. The towing speed was also carefully controlled, constantly cooperating with each handling staff.

The loading of the "Haniwa" is unpredictable. The "Haniwa" was loaded with its pedestal or the base facing the cockpit to be well prepared for the G-forces or impacts when landing.
An unlikely loading direction for a normal cargo was specified. To prevent human error of the handling staff, the loading direction was marked on the outside packaging of the cargo.

In order to eliminate misunderstandings in the text, such as diagrams or illustrations were used to standardize the understanding among the respective parties.

Since the impact will be greater if the cargo is directly built-up on the pallet, ANA's dedicated wooden skid was prepared, and firmly fixed them with tied-down belts, while paying careful attention to prevent wet damage, realizing a perfect transport environment.

Kato: "We, as the transport parties, are fully aware of the importance & difficulty of cargo, but if other partners do not have the same professionalism or awareness, it may lead to unexpected accidents. In order to successfully achieve the best transport, all the transport partners having the same intention or consensus is essential. For this reason, I emphasized the importance of this time's "Haniwa" transport to the relevant parties."

To accomplish the difficult transport, it is insufficient to simply prepare the transport conditions & environment, but it is necessary for all the concerned parties to closely work together on the mission. Such high professionalism of each member is leading to the outstanding transport quality of ANA Cargo.

ANA Cargo, based on its high-quality transport, is thoroughly focused on the markets' needs, while continuously providing services that are always chosen first by the valued customers.
Commitment to quality control

A long-awaited reunion. The "Haniwa Brothers" meets in Tokyo

ANA's passenger aircraft "Boeing 787-8" operating to/from Seattle

Then the "Haniwa" departed Seattle for Japan. It was its first homecoming in approximately 60 years. All the concerned people involved were very much looking forward to the return of the "Haniwa".

Mr. Kawano: "I also wanted to fly to Seattle but couldn't due to being tied up with the preparation for the exhibition. Though I was very worried, ANA Cargo had closely informed us of the updates in a timely manner, which made me feel really relieved."

And after a long flight of approximately 7,700 km or 10 and a half hours from Seattle, the "Haniwa" finally arrived in Japan. Even after it arrived safely in Japan, no one could be relieved until the "Haniwa" was unpacked. It is because the accumulation of slight vibrations during the transport could have led to cracks. The "Haniwa" arrived at the Tokyo National Museum, and everyone held their breath and watched the unpacking.

Mr. Kawano: "When the box was opened, I was deeply moved to see the "Haniwa" undamaged without even a scratch, just as I had seen them in Seattle. Though I couldn't because of too many witnesses at the place, I almost shouted "hurrah!!" and raised my arms in celebration without thinking. I was overwhelmed with emotion to be able to see the reunion of the "Haniwa" at the same place they were made in more than 1,700 years ago. I am so grateful to the members who trusted me."

On the first day of the special exhibition "Haniwa", even though it was a weekday, 3,500 visitors came to the venue and gazed with great interest at the reunion of the 5 "Haniwa Warrior in Keikō Armour" gathered together.

Mr. Kawano received a message from the Seattle Art Museum stating, "The number of 3,500 visitors is very impressive which totally owes to the efforts of all the people involved. We are very pleased to have been able to participate in this exciting exhibition and appreciate everyone's cooperation & support.", which speaks to the strong bond between the Seattle Art Museum and the Tokyo National Museum.

ANA Cargo's mission to "connect" historic cultural assets to the present transcending time

This time's "Haniwa" transport was not just about delivering the cargo safely, but also was to deepen the bond between Japan & the U.S. Yaegashi & Kato, who both were involved in the transport looked back on the mission.

Yaegashi: "Cultural assets, especially in this case, are irreplaceable culture & history of mankind itself. Though various special cargo has been transported in the past, the extremely difficult "Haniwa" transport was successfully achieved, while we were deeply moved to hear Mr. Kawano's compliments & nice words. The local cargo forwarder said, "We have been involved in the transport of artworks for a long time, but this time's handling was the smoothest & safest ever. We would like to use ANA Cargo from now on.", which made us proud for providing high-quality service not only in Japan but also overseas."

Kato: "When looking back, for sure, this time's successful transport was only possible with the support of both the Seattle Art Museum & Tokyo National Museum. Listening to various thoughts about this transport reminded me of the importance of our work & made me even more focused. I would like to utilize the know-how gained from this project in other special cargo transports & further enhance the quality."

Taking pose of "Haniwa Dancing People"

Special cargo transport is required of handling level considering various characteristics of the shipment. This time's "Haniwa" transport was an impressive project conveying the Japan quality not only to Japan but also to the world. ANA Cargo & the ANA Group will not only transport cargo, but shall continuously support the future ahead which cargo envisions.