Jomon Doki

Jomon Doki, or earthenware pottery, was made approximately 12,000~15,000 years ago in Japan. A significant technological innovation, the use of this pottery drew a line between the Jomon era (14,000 – 400 BCE) and earlier eras.

Jomon Doki was originally used as an earthenware pot for cooking. Its development is believed to coincide with the increased consumption of plant foods due to the change in forest flora; with nuts, fruit and root vegetables needing to be boiled to reduce their bitterness. The pots were also used for storage. 

Edward Sylvester Morse first discovered Jomon Doki at Tokyo’s Ohmori Shell Mound during the Meiji era. He reported his finding as ‘cord-marked pottery’, which was translated into Japanese as Sakumon Doki, but the term Jomon Doki had already begun to take root.

The patterns created by rolling twisted straw rope over the surface are the iconic feature of Jomon Doki, but many earlier pieces had simpler designs for practicality. Over time, the decoration of Jomon Doki became more elaborate, culminating in Kaen-gata Doki (flame-shaped vessel) created in eastern Japan during the middle of the Jomon era. Some experts say the unique ‘flame’ design on the rim was for ritual purposes rather than daily use. Kaen-gata Doki is considered innovative in Japanese art history and influenced Japanese artist, Taro Okamoto (1911-1996), who is famous his building 'Tower of the Sun', the symbol of the 1970 Osaka Expo.