JADE CIRCULATION AND USE AMONG PREHISTORIC HUNTER-GATHERERS: THE MIDDLE JOMONCULTURE IN JAPAN
Channel: European Association of Archaeologists
Date: 2021-02-05

Jade was discovered in the Japanese archipelago from c. 6000BP, and it continued to be exploited by the Jomon hunter-gatherer communities until the end of the period, c. 2400BP. It is clear that jadeitite, generally processed in the form of ground and pierced “ornaments”, played an important social role. While nephrite and other jade-like stones from different sources also were occasionally employed, jadeitite from the Itoigawa source was most highly valued, circulating across the Japanese archipelago (albeit never reaching the continent). During the later Jomon, these took the form of fairly uniform small round or curved beads, frequently found accumulated inside a few burials. However, the jade objects classified as “large pendants’ from the earlier phase (c. 6000~ 3500 BP) are far more diverse in size, shape, quality of the material and degree of finish. Moreover, there is also variation in deposition: mortuary contexts, ritual deposition, house floors or scattered over the settlement. So far, much about their use is unclear: how long these objects were in circulation before reaching the end of their use life; whether they were passed along by multiple generations or not. Furthermore, it is necessary to reassess whether these objects were exclusively worn as bodily adornment, as is usually assumed. To some extent, appearance and treatment may reflect regional cultural preferences, and the long-distance trade networks and transmission of customs. This presentation focuses on several case studies from North and Central Japan, taking into account depositional contexts as well as use wear, to evaluate diversity in the use and social value of jadeitite objects in Middle Jomon Japan.


Author(s): Bausch, Ilona (Kokugakuin University Museum; Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts & Cultures)