We’re kicking off a whole series of videos about Japanese Art, and we're going to be
covering everything from Shinto Shrines, to Superflat. So let’s start off with the very
beginning, with the Jomon Period.
The Jomon period, meaning “straw rope”, lasted from 10,000 BCE to 300 BCE. While the
origins of the Jomon people is disputed, they were nomadic hunter gatherers who later practiced
organized farming and built simple houses of wood and thatch set into shallow earthen
pits. They’re thought to be the ancestors of the Ainu people, who live in Hokkaido.
They’re known for these decorated pots, which get these patterns by imprinting rope
pattern on to wet clay. The earliest pottery were smaller, round-bottomed
bowls that may have been used for boiling or storing food. They were make from coiled
clay and fired on an open fire. Later, when the people began following a more settled
pattern of living, the vessels increased in size and became more elaborate in pattern
and design, for example, this is a Middle-period jar, which is very ornate style called “flame-wares”
(kaen doki). The scalloped edge became more exaggerated with thick groves and curls. However,
by the end of the period, the vessels become less flamboyant.
The bottoms went from round bottom- which was suited for burying into the ground- to
flat bottomed, which could be placed on a flat surface.
They also created clay figurines, called called dogū (土偶). The purpose of the Dogu is
unknown, but some scholars theorize that they acted like effigies, or religious fetishes.
Many appear to be female, with breasts or a large abdomen, suggesting that they were
associated with pregnancy or considered a mother goddess.
The Yayoi period, meaning “early spring” lasted from 300 BCE to 300 CE. This period
was a time of mass migration, mainly from Korea, and they arrived in northern Kyushu.
With them, they brought really important knowledge from abroad, such as: iron, bronze, and wetland
rice cultivation. As farming spread, land ownership marked one’s social status, spurring
a feudal system that would dominate in much of Japan’s history. This agrarian culture
lived in permanent, settled village communities made of thatched houses.
During the Yayoi period, we see the appearance of new pottery styles. These vessels were
produced on a potter’s wheel and fired in kilns, unlike the Jomon pottery which were
made by hand. They were less ornate, with smoother surfaces and practical, functional
shapes.
Jars were made for storage, Larger jars for cooking, and
high-footed vessels were used to make offerings.
More elaborate were the bronze ceremonial bells called dōtaku. They are often decorated
with geometric patterns, and even some have representations of domesticated animals and
scenes of daily life.
As the Yayoi population grew, society became more stratified and complex with distinct
social classes. Prestige objects seem to have been traded among chiefs and clan-nations
developed.
During the 2nd and 3rd centuries, clans fought among themselves until the 5th century, when
the Yamato clan gained dominance.
The Kofun period, meaning “old tomb”, lasted from 300 to 552.
Rice cultivation concentrated in what is today called Kansai, an area that, according to
Chinese records, was called Yamato, ruled by a female shaman called Queen Himiko.
During this period there were a number of distinct burial mounds, these megalithic kofun,
or tombs, found in Kyushu and Honshu. These burial grounds with a keyhole shape were often
surrounded by a moat, and held a number of sophisticated artifacts, like bronze mirrors,
armour, swords and jewelry.
Unglazed pottery figures called Haniwa were buried under the circumference.
Haniwa (埴輪), where are clay representations of animals, objects and humans, and were erected
outside tombs.
Legend has it that Haniwa were created when when an empresses, who disliked the custom
of servants and maids following their master in death, ordered clay figures in place of
sacrificing living beings for her burial mound.
However, the earliest haniwa forms found were simple cylindrical forms, used like stakes
to hold the burial mound in place. So the authenticity of the story is questionable.
After a while, These plain cylinders were decorated to various forms, like horses and
human figures, taking on a more religious or symbolic meaning.
These tombs point to a shift from the tribal headsmen to more powerful chieftains of larger
domains, as they were are able to raise a tremendous workforce to build these enormous
mounds. People likely began to form political alliances to form a nation.
Excavations of these imperial tombs are forbidden to this day.
Thanks so much for watching this very first episode of the Japanese art history series.
I hope you guys enjoyed it, and will tune in for the following episodes. If you want
to keep watching more, head on over to the next video, or any of the other videos listed.
New videos for this series will come out every other Tuesday.
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Thanks so much for watching, and I’ll See you guys next time!