Jomon Culture (ca. 10,500–ca. 300 B.C.)

 

 Storage jar, Middle Jomon period (ca. 2500–1500 b.c.)
Japan
Earthenware, unglazed, H. 27 1/2 in. (69.9 cm)
The Harry G. C. Packard Collection of Asian Art, Gift of Harry G. C. Packard, and Purchase, Fletcher, Rogers, Harris Brisbane Dick and Louis V. Bell Funds, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, and The Annenberg Fund Inc. Gift, 1975 (1975.268.182)

 

Cord-marked pottery is the characteristic ware of the earliest inhabitants of Japan. These Neolithic people, known as the Jomon (cord-marking) culture, existed on the abundant fishing and hunting on the Japanese islands from at least the fifth millennium B.C., surviving in some areas until the third century A.D. During this period handmade utilitarian wares were treated with inventive, often extravagant artistry, and regional separations between groups resulted in a wide range of types and styles. This earthenware food vessel, which came from the Aomori Prefecture in northeastern Japan, is remarkable for the fine quality of its clay and its sophisticated decoration. The cord-marked herringbone pattern was reproduced by cords knotted together and twisted in opposite directions.

 

 

Deep bowl with sculptural rim, late Middle Jomon period (ca. 2500–1500 b.c.), ca. 1500 b.c.
Japan
Earthenware, H. 13 in. (33 cm)
Gift of Florence and Herbert Irving, 1992 (1992.252.1)

 

The swirling, dynamic appearance of the rim of this deep bowl is one of the most recognizable characteristics of wares made during Japan's oldest known civilization, the Jomon. Forming a dramatic contrast to the flamboyant ornamentation along the top is the relatively simple cord-marked lower portion of the vessel. Although most of the pottery containers made during this period were cooking vessels, the eccentric, irregular shape of the rim on bowls of this kind does not appear to be suitable for practical use and may have served a ritual function.\

 

This deep bowl was built up with coils of clay that were then smoothed by hand and with paddles. Clay coils and the movement of the potter's fingers formed the undulating "fire-flame" design that decorates the rim. The lower portion of the bowl was impressed while still soft with a length of rough cord wrapped around a stick to create the textured pattern. After the bowl was fully formed, it was fired in an open pit.

 

 

 Bottle, Late Jomon period (ca. 1500–1000 b.c.)
Japan
Earthenware with incised designs, H. 7 1/2 in. (19 cm)
The Harry G. C. Packard Collection of Asian Art, Gift of Harry G. C. Packard, and Purchase, Fletcher, Rogers, Harris Brisbane Dick and Louis V. Bell Funds, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, and The Annenberg Fund Inc. Gift, 1975 (1975.268.184)

 

This small, bulbous-shaped bottle with narrow neck is typical of wares found at Late Jomon sites in the Tohoku region. While the southern and western parts of Japan were responding to foreign influences at this time, this area in northern Honshu became a center of traditional pottery production. Although the red pigment applied to the surface of this vessel is unusual, the sophisticated, incised decoration is typical. The small size of this bottle and its relatively simple, compact profile exemplify Late Jomon ceramic-making trends, which reveal a declining interest in sculptural embellishment and elaborate decoration in favor of greater integration of ornamentation and form. The thin walls of the bottle indicate improvements made in potting methods. Flanking the shoulders and lower section are two sets of apertures, through which a thin cord could be threaded to suspend the container.

  

 Spearhead, Late Jomon period (ca. 1500–1000 b.c.)
Japan
Stone, L. 3 1/8 in. (7.9 cm)
The Harry G. C. Packard Collection of Asian Art, Gift of Harry G. C. Packard, and Purchase, Fletcher, Rogers, Harris Brisbane Dick and Louis V. Bell Funds, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, and The Annenberg Fund Inc. Gift, 1975 (1975.268.200)

 

Careful workmanship and attention to the natural beauty of the material are evident in many of the tools, weapons, and ornaments found in Jomon sites. Stone tools, which were first roughly fashioned in Paleolithic times, were by the Jomon period meticulously chipped and smoothly polished, attesting to the ancient roots of Japan's renowned penchant for refined design and workmanship. This hunting implement, for example, is characterized by a carefully formed leaf shape and evenly beveled edges that required great skill and patience to create.

 

 

 Needles, hooks, and harpoon, Final Jomon period (ca. 1000–300 b.c.)
Japan
Bone

The Harry G. C. Packard Collection of Asian Art, Gift of Harry G. C. Packard, and Purchase, Fletcher, Rogers, Harris Brisbane Dick and Louis V. Bell Funds, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, and The Annenberg Fund Inc. Gift, 1975 (1975.268.333-345)

 

These implements—an arrowhead, fishhooks, needle, and harpoon—were skillfully carved from bone, a material worked by Japanese artisans since Paleolithic times. They were found in the Obara Shell Mound at Ofunato Bay in Iwate Prefecture. According to information gleaned from shell mounds, or middens, the people of the Jomon period relied on a variety of strategies to obtain food. The large number of fishhooks, fashioned with and without barbs, together with the rich array of marine remains found in these rubbish heaps since very early times indicate that some fifty species of fish and shellfish constituted an essential dietary staple. Toggle-head harpoons, a later innovation, facilitated the hunting of sea mammals. Attaching a line to the toggle allowed the hunter to draw in his prey once the toggle had broken away from the harpoon shaft. Further evidence gathered from these refuse dumps suggests that the Jomon people also relied heavily on nuts, collected most actively in the autumn, and hunted animals, notably wild boar and deer.

 

 

 Small figurine, Final Jomon period (ca. 1000–300 b.c.)
Japan
Earthenware, H. 2 1/2 in. (5.7 cm)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Jerome Koizim, 1978 (1978.346)

 

Clay figurines (dogu) modeled in human and animal forms were made throughout the Jomon period, particularly during the latter half, and establish the beginnings of Japan's sculptural tradition. The largest percentage of these figures, including this statuette from northern Honshu, consist of highly stylized images of females with enlarged breasts, stomachs, and hips, presumed to have been fertility symbols. Because these figurines were usually broken intentionally, it is supposed that they were used as part of rituals meant to cure physical ailments. It seems that once the affliction was ceremonially transferred to the figure, the clay image was discarded. This speculation explains the evidence that most (dogu) are found scattered about or in refuse heaps, rather than in graves.

 

 

 Bust of a female figurine, Final Jomon period (ca. 1000–300 b.c.)
Japan
Earthenware with incised and cord-marked designs, H. 6 1/2 in. (16.5 cm)
The Harry G. C. Packard Collection of Asian Art, Gift of Harry G. C. Packard, and Purchase, Fletcher, Rogers, Harris Brisbane Dick and Louis V. Bell Funds, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, and The Annenberg Fund Inc. Gift, 1975 (1975.268.191)

 

This stylized, hollow figurine (dogu) of a female is representative of the type found in the Tohoku region of northern Honshu and made during the Late and Final Jomon periods. The most arresting aspect of these figurines is their large bisected coffeebean-shaped eyes. While the true meaning of this convention remains unknown, the eyes are often likened to the snow goggles worn by the Inuit of North America. The nose and mouth are merely suggested by small holes. A crown sits atop the figure's head, and her body is decorated with deeply incised lines and areas impressed with cord-markings that may represent tattoos. Other, more complete examples of this type have fleshy torsos with bare navels above thick, sturdy legs. The emphasis on the pointed breasts and generous hips of these figures suggests that they functioned as fertility symbols.

[The Metropolitan Museum of Art]

 

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