Two Artworks from Jomon Period Compared

History and background
This paper will compare two works of art from the Jomon period, that was one of the lasting Neolithic phases in the history of Japan. The name for this period was based off of the “cord markings” which signified the ceramics that were made throughout the period. The people in this era were mainly fishermen or hunters and had semi-sedentary lifestyles with their homes made out of pit primarily surrounded by wide open spaces. The artworks excavated fron this time period provide monumental insights to the history and inclinations of art in this period and how it influenced the times to come, however the artifacts themselves shine very little light on the ethnic structure of the people or their language at the time (Department of Asian Art, 2002).
Jar
The first artifact I chose was titled "Jar". it was a bulbous-shaped bottle that had a very small and narrow brim or neck which was a typical representation of the artworks found in Late Jomon period near the excavation sites in T?hoku. This was the only region at the time that stuck to its traditional roots of art while areas in the south and west of this region were being influenced by foreign patterns. The incisions on the Jar were also following tradiitonal lines. The only offset or non-traditional aspect of this artifact was red pigment used for application on the surface of the artifact. The simplicity of this piece of art was a great representation of the preferences at the time amongst Japanese artists of the decreasing interests in embellished sculptors and wode ranging decor patterns, instead it showed a greater eye for form, inclusivess and ornamentation.
Deep Vessel with Handles
The memorable shape of the rim for this artifact makes it standout from the mid-late Jomon period. Even though the rim is heavily inclined towards ornamentation of the highest class, the remainder of the vessel showcases a stark contrast of simplicity and highlights the traditional and popular cord markings of the time. This artifact also broke the mould of being one of the cermaics taht could be used merely as a cooking vessle or some other practical use; it, in fact, shows little practical use due to the flambouyant rim and instead could be a vessle that performed a ritual or cultual function instead.
Analysis and Comparison
Some of the simlarities between the Jomon artifacts chosen above include the fact that they were both hand made without any use of wheels or other mechanical instruments; in fact, both were built with coils of clay. Both artifects were prodeuced by women as was typical for all Neolithic cultures. Adhesives like lead, fibre and crushed shells were used in both artifacts to bring them smoothly together (Department of Asian Art, 2002). Both earthernware artworks were categorized as ceramics and had incised decorations.
Some of the differences between the two artworks include the following: the Jar was from the later end of the Jomon period while deep vessel with handles was from the mid-late Jomon period; also the credit line for both was very different wtih the Jar having a lobg credit line (The Harry G. C. Packard Collection of Asian Art, Gift of Harry G. C. Packard, and Purchase, Fletcher, Rogers, Harris Brisbane Dick, and Louis V. Bell Funds, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, and The Annenberg Fund Inc. Gift, 1975) and deep vessel with handles having shirter credit line (Gift of Florence and Herbert Irving, 1992); and yet another dissimilarity was the height of the two with the Jar being 20cm and the deep vessel being 33 cm. Finally, deep vessle with handles had cord markings typical of the Jomon period while the Jar had none.
I chose these two artworks as they highlight different growth patterns for making artifacts in the history of Japan. Both artworks also shed light on typical patterns and preferences of cultural art in the region at the time. I also like the fact that niether artwork shows foreign influence of any form.
Another interesting thing anout both artifacts was that they were from an era when the climatic conditions were such that it allowed for a lot of outward migration to take place. This meant that many artists started moving away from the mountains and started living closer to coastal settlements, moreso near the east Honshu coastline than any other region. This was an interessting move for art in the region because as different communities came closer and interacted, the higher was the opportunity for learning each other's crafts. Since there was still no foreign influence involved in the two artifacts chosen, we can still clearly see a unison of theme and technique which showcases where the communities were at the time.
This unison of cultures was a greaat part of the history of this era making the late Jomon period pergaps the best for its art growth. One of the other artworks the grew tremendously and similarly in this time was the use of figurines. Even though figurines are not a topic of discussion in this paper, it is impprtant to note that the increase of the making and use of figurines was tremendous in the late Jomon period signifying a rise in rituals and ceremonies which is again indicative of awareness and acceptance of different communities for each others cultures. One of the primary reasons I chose the artifacts above was that they highlighted different growth patterns for making artifacts in the history of Japan and the use of figurines was part of this difference in growth as assemblage became a huge part of artifacts (which is primarily a facet of figurine) and can be clearly seen in the structure of the deep vessel with handles. Even though the assemblage technique used in the formation of the deep vessel renders it to be of little practical use but it does showcase an important growth pattern in Japan's history of art.


References
Deep vessel with handles. Accessed 29 March, 2018, from: https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1975.268.184/
Department of Asian Art. “Jomon Culture (ca. 10,500–ca. 300 B.C.).” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/jomo/hd_jomo.htm (October 2002).
Jar. Accessed 29 March 2018, from: https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1992.252.1/