2008. Education Shibayama has one public elementary school and one public middle school operated by the town government. The town does not have a high school. Transportation Railway Shibayama Railway Company – Shibayama Railway Highway , which connects Sōsa, Chiba and Funabashi, Chiba Local attractions Haniwa of Shibayama Haniwa, terracotta funerary objects of the Kofun period (250 – 538 AD) are designated a cultural symbol for Shibayama. The main north-south road in Shibayama, Prefectural Route 62, is designated "Haniwa Avenue" in the town, and is lined with large-scale reproductions of haniwa statues. The Haniwa come from the many burial mounds located in Shibayama, primarily from the Shibayama Kofungun. Shibayama is home to the Shibayama Kofun Haniwa Museum, located in close proximity to the Shibayama Kofungun. The Shibayama Haniwa Festival is held annually on the second Sunday of November. Created in 1982, the festival is a day-long which centers on a procession of adults dressed as local Kofun-period rulers, and elementary and middle school children dressed as , a term that means "ancient people". The festival ends after dark with a bonfire at the Shibayama Kumano Shrine that symbolizes the funeral service of a local Kofun-period ruler. Shibayama Niōson Temple Kannonkyō-ji, a Buddhist temple of the Tendai sect, is popularly known in the town as the Shibayama Niōson Temple. It dates, by tradition, to 781 and contains a 3-tiered pagoda. The pagoda is designated a Chiba Prefectural Important Cultural Property. The temple also features a museum with displays of haniwa as well as Buddhist art and artifacts. Notable people Shirō Ishii, Imperial Japanese Army biological warfare specialist and war criminal Teiichi Suzuki, Imperial Japanese Army general and politician References External links Official Website Towns in Chiba Prefecture Shibayama, Chiba