Jomon Earthenware

Thousand of years ago, there were people who were nomads in the early Jomon Period. They used to follow the seasonal migrations of animals to hunt for food. Therefore, people dried, smoked, or broiled the deer, elephant, or seal meat. However, the discovery of making pottery had a dramatic effect on the nomadic peoples' lives. Now, having pottery containers for cooking, people began boiling meat because it was much easier to chew. Furthermore, the people began to store foods such as nuts in the pottery. It was not easy for the Jomon people to transport the pottery vessels from place to place which resulted in a gradual transition from the nomadic strategy to a more semi-nomadic way of life.

Picture from Hamamatu City Museum

The shape of the pottery vessel is usually cylindrical and the exterior design is quite simple including small designs on a plain surface in the earlier Jomon period. However, the shape and design of Jomon pottery varied based upon different uses as time went on. The design of ritual pottery was very elaborate in the middle Jomon Period. Surface decoration sometimes showed animals which existed at the same period. Moreover, a peculiar design of Jomon pottery was seen only in Japan. The Jomon clay vessels were used as a tool for cooking and rites and as a trade item. Each village had a different pottery design even though Japan was a small country as compared to other countries.

Later in the Jomon period, the influence of ancient Korean culture was seen in the features of the Jomon pottery. Surface treatment of the Jomon pottery got smoother and rounder. Therefore, the late Jomon pottery is similar to the early Yayoi pottery. The pottery had a wider variety of uses than it did before.

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