Fukui cave, which is located on the southern island of Kyushu, Japan (Yoshii-town, Nagasaki), is one of the sites of the Jomon Culture. The Jomon Period lasted from about 13,000 B.P.-2,300 B.P. This period can be divided into the Incipient, Initial, Early, Middle, Late, and Final Periods.
The Jomon period is the beginning of the Japanese ceramic tradition, and its earthenware has been classified into more than 50 styles based on the method of surface decoration and general motifs.
Oshigatamon earthenware, which was found in the first layer was already a known type of earthenware. This type of pottery is decorated with a stick that has a motif carved on it. It is a common type found in the Initial Period. Projectile points were also found in this layer.
In the summer of 1960, small fragments of a different type of earthenware were found in the second layer. This type of pottery is called Tsumegatamon, in which the wall is decorated with the fingernail impressions. Obsidian scrapers and stone flakes were also found with the pottery fragments. This type of pottery initially was believed to belong to the late initial Jomon period. However, from this discovery, the pottery is now considered to be part of the incipient Jomon period, since it was found with stone tools from that period. Furthermore, projectile points were never found from this layer. From these facts, Japanese archaeologists began to doubt that this second layer was the part of Jomon culture.
However, a surprising find from the third layer changed the thoughts of archaeologists. Archaeologists again found scrapers and flakes. Another type of pottery was also found. The fragments collected are called Ryusenmon. These are thicker than the Tsumegatamon in the second layer, and have linear applique on the surface. Since this layer contained coal, C-14 dating was used. The resulting dates were12,700 B.P. and 12,400 B.P. Until then, the earliest pottery making has been considered to begin about 9,000 B.P. somewhere in the western Asia. As a result, this earthenware in the Fukui third layer has become the earliest pottery in the world. However, C-14 dating tends to measure objects as older than they actually are.
From the fourth layer, only scrapers and flakes were found, but those were more simple than those in the third layer. There were no fragments of pottery anywhere in the fourth layer. From these facts, archaeologists believe that consideral cultural change occurred between the third and fourth layer.
After this excavation, another site was focused on. It is the Sempukuji cave, which is located south of Fukui cave (Sasebo-city, Nagasaki). Excavations at this site during the 1970's revealed another type of pottery. Toryumon (bean applique), was found. This site also had Oatsu (Oshigatamon), Tsumegatamon, and Ryusenmon pottery, which was also found in the Fukui cave. However, Toryumon was found under the layer of Ryusenmon at Sempukuji. The date of this pottery is estimated at 10,800 B.P. by the fission track dating method. Furthermore, by using the thermoluminescence method, Toryumon earthenware was dated at 13,000 B.P., and Ryusenmon earthenware was dated at 12,000 B.P.
Since each dating method has some disadvantages, it is not clear which pottery is the earliest one. However, it is certain that the earliest earthenware in the world is from either Fukui or Sempukuji cave.
Sources
Hanihara Kazurou, ed. The Origin of Japanese. Asahi newspaper, Tokyo, 1994.
Barnett, W , and Hoopes, J, ed. The Emergence of Pottery;Technology and Innovation in Ancient Societies. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, 1995.
Weeder, Erica, ed. The Rise of a Great Tradition; Japanese Archaeological Ceramics from the Jomon through Heian Period. Japan society, N.Y., 1991.