Jomon
Pottery
of
Ancient
Japan
c. 12,000
-300 BC
Metropolitan Art Museum, New York
Storage jar
Earthenware
unglazed
H. 27 ½”
Metropolitan Art
Museum, NYC
All Jomon pots were made by hand,
without the aid of a wheel, the potter
building up the vessel from the bottom
with coil upon coil of soft clay.
As in all other Neolithic cultures,
women produced these early potteries.
The clay was mixed with a variety of
adhesive materials, including mica, lead,
fibers, and crushed shells.
http://earlywomenmasters.net/masters/jomon/mma_jomonpot.html
After the vessel
was formed, tools
were used to smooth
both the outer and
interior surfaces.
When completely
dry, it was fired in an
outdoor bonfire at a
temperature of no
more than about
900° C.
Metropolitan Art Museum, New York
Jomon ceramics may have begun in
imitation of reed baskets.
Some Jomon pots have pointed
bottoms. Judging from the burn marks along
the sides, they must have been planted into
soft earth or sand, then used for cooking.
Still other early vessels were crafted
with straight sides and flat bottoms
for storage as well as cooking and
eventually became the norm.
Often vessels were decorated with
patterns made by pressing cord onto
the damp clay (jomon means "cord
markings").
Tokyo National Museum
Jomon period clay figurines, called dogu
(pronounced dough-goo).
There are many theories on what they were
used for, such as a talisman for good health or
safe childbirth. Many were excavated in
fragments so it is believed that after the wish
was fulfilled, the dogu was broken and thrown
away: that's where many were discovered.
Suntory Museum, Japan
Another theory is that these were
goddesses to whom Jomon people
prayed for food and health. Other
explanations are toys for children,
funerary offerings, or objects used in
some unknown ritual.
Mimizuku Dogu,
Saitama Prefecture
Important Cultural Property