The Jomon Culture

The Jomon people of Japan are the first known inhabitants of the country, lasting from about 10,500 BC to the cultivation of rice first seen in Japan, at about 300 BC. Traces of Jomon culture can still be seen influencing modern Japanese culture, and the innovations that the Jomon brought set them apart from the rest of the world. The history of the Jomon culture can be broken up into different periods, with the first one being the Incipient Jomon (Metmuseum.org, 2015). This era lasted from 10,500 BC to about 8000 BC, and marks the transition between the Paleolithic and Neolithic ways of life (Metmuseum.org, 2015). The Jomon at this time have been shown living in simple surface dwellings and survived off of hunter and gathering. It was at
These pieces of art are often ignored because of the Jomon’s unique pottery, but are a critical part of their culture. These figurines were often very varied, as many different villages of the Jomon often made them different sizes and shapes than others (Gleason, 2015). The oldest known dogu was discovered in Shiga, dating back to the Incipient Jomon period, about 13,000 years ago (Gleason, 2015). Most of the dolls are found in the northern and eastern parts of Japan, such as the Kanto region (Gleason, 2015). Dogu are human effigies, with many being female, often pregnant and usually are broken or appear to be purposely broken (Gleason, 2015). Although the dogu have been studied extensively, the purpose of the figures still remain a mystery. It is thought that they were broken in rituals for things such as the promotion of good health, to cure illnesses, or promote fertility (Kawagoe, 2007). Others found in western Japan are thought of to represent fortune in agriculture (Kawagoe, 2007). The earliest creations were headless, and are strongly believed to represent an earth goddess or deity (Kawagoe, 2007). This changed in the Middle Jomon, when they started to acquire heads and other human characteristics, such as prominent breasts, buttocks and genitalia (Gleason, 2015). Also this is when animal-shaped dolls, such as a cat, start to make an appearance (Kawagoe, 2007). The introduction of animal-shaped dogu indicate signs of animistic forms of nature worship, deeming them sacred (Kawagoe, 2007). Dogu are very important when studying the Jomon culture because they show the prowess and importance of shaman in the culture, which used these extensively. These dolls transformed and evolved into later eras in Japanese culture, changing dramatically from their