Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art

About this Work

Joman which means ‘cord impressed’ is a descriptive title for not only the earliest period of pottery production in Japan, but also the earliest pottery production in the world.The earliest examples date to 10,500 B.C., predating agriculture by at least 8,000 years. This, too, is unusual since, in the West, the development of pottery and agriculture emerged together. Middle Joman pottery is distinguished by a flaring lip and applied decoration as well as the decoration made by pressing twisted rope into the surface of the leather hard clay. This example illustrates all the various ways Jomon pottery could be decorated with applied decoration and cord impressed patterns. It also has a pleasing aesthetically with color variations on the surface of the clay created as a result of the uneven temperature and availability of oxygen in an open pit kiln.