TOKYO -- Three artifacts described as "dogu" earthenware figurines from Japan's ancient Jomon period were removed from the Agency for Cultural Affairs' Cultural Heritage Online portal after external claims questioning their authenticity, agency sources confirmed.

Until April 17, the removed items, labeled "shakoki (light-blocking device) dogu," "nyonin (woman) dogu," and "kaijin (monster) dogu," had been listed under archaeological pottery artifacts from the Jomon period (about 13,000 to 400 B.C.E.). A representative from the agency explained the deletion was made to prevent misunderstanding, noting, "We received an inquiry at our contact desk in January raising the possibility they might be forgeries. We are currently investigating to verify whether they genuinely derive from the Jomon period."

The Cultural Heritage Online website was launched in 2008 to introduce cultural assets held by museums and art institutions nationwide. As of April 18, a total of 1,055 institutions across Japan have uploaded images and descriptions of over 290,000 cultural assets in diverse categories, including architecture, paintings, sculpture and archaeological materials.

The portal allows administrators at each preregistered and approved institution to directly upload cultural asset images and explanations. The figurines in question appeared on the site at least several years ago, entered by a private museum in Aichi Prefecture. The Cultural Affairs Agency declined to comment on whether it will be formally appraising these artifacts or if the site's verification process was adequate, citing the ongoing investigation.

Meanwhile, the director of the museum strongly refuted the allegations in a telephone interview with the Mainichi Shimbun, asserting that the figurines labeled as Jomon dogu were genuine. He emphasized, "These items were purchased from collectors," but declined to go into details such as the acquisition dates, saying, "I cannot comment further by phone." He also criticized the agency's deletion decision, stating, "They understand nothing about Jomon artifacts. It's completely absurd."

(Japanese original by Sahomi Nishimoto, Tokyo City News Department)