ca. 3000-2500 B.C.E.

Jomon culture,
Jomon period

Unglazed earthenware clay
H: 50.2 W: 31.7 D: 31.7 cm
Japan

Purchase F1974.5

Projecting sculptural forms on the rim and ornate combinations of incised and relief designs on the body characterize jars made during the Middle Jomon period, one of the five periods of development of the Japanese Neolithic culture known as Jomon. Jomon ("cord-marked") pottery gives its name to the culture.

While similarities according to site, region and period can be observed, no two Jomon pots are absolutely identical. This jar is said to have come from the Togariishi site in mountainous Nagano prefecture, an area that was heavily settled during the Middle Jomon period.