Excavations of ancient Jomon sites provide important information of prehistoric cultures. Through modern chemical tests, potsherd samples from any given site may not necessarily match the majority from the given area. This provides us with clues that the people of the Jomon culture often traded amongst each other. Habu and Hall comment " Kojo (1981) does not believe that the pottery itself had any significant exchange value". Perhaps this would support Kenrick's theory that these ceramic containers were meant to store items, and being as such, were used to transport goods from region to region. But it would not explain the amount of detail that goes into some of the Jomon pots, especially of the Middle era. There is evidence of mass production from kiln sites, but I believe that the containers served both ritual and practical purposes. From the evidence scholars have excavated, the Jomon culture was a fairly peaceful time, and it would allow people to take the time for decorative functions. There is still much to learn about this ancient culture, and perhaps more will be revealed in due time.

The pots from the Jomon culture, which range from 10,700 BCE- 300 BCE, are divided into six phases. Incipient phase pots are heavy and plain, often having simple cord or shell impressions on the surface. In the initial and early phase, cords wrap around the pot, and impressions become complex designs. The middle Jomon is the most impressive phase, the pots have a real sculptural quality to them, and the mouths of the pots often contain 1-4 ears that appear to have a solely decorative function. Jomon illustration #3 is an example of a 4-ear vessel with a heavy applique around the shoulder and mouth of the pot. The bottom of the pot returns to a vertical groove design probably for functional reasons. From the late era, there is a decline in the craft, we see a return to a tightly organized design, and in the final stage there are flowing patterns of simple curved lines.

What is so interesting in Jomon, is that each piece is dramatically different, each vessel has a strong, stately character to it. So far in researching different cultures and eras in ceramics, I've noticed a collation; the more time a potter spends on a piece, the more unique in character it is as the potter's spirit is reflected through the work. In many cases

Jomon pottery was fired to a low temperatures of about 500-600 degrees, very few were pots were fired to 700-800 degrees in a open bonfire. The pots had to be pre-heated by placing them on hot ashes for a few hours, to prevent cracking from firing the pot too fast in an open fire. But has Jomon pots of the early phase became thicker, yet fired at the same rate, with temperatures now averaging close to 700 degrees. They would often crack. (Modern pots are often fired to 1,100 degrees in the biscuit firing). Kendrick best states the Jomon's solution to this problem; " Short-cut vegetable fibers were frequently mixed as temper into the clay, pos

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Approximate Word count = 2010
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)