Exploring Prehistoric Pottery in Japan
A Study of Organic Inclusions, Adhering Materials, and Impressions of Woven Items
Edited by Hiroki Obata
Paperback (Published)
(October 2026)
ISBN: 9781805833444
7.99 x 10.91 inches
Price: $42.00
In stock
This volume explores how scientific analysis of Jōmon and Yayoi pottery reveals evidence of prehistoric life. Examining plant remains, tool impressions, food residues and carbonised traces, it demonstrates how “excavating inside the pottery” can reconstruct ancient lifeways, technologies and environments.
Jōmon pottery is globally renowned for its lavish ornamentation and functional beauty. Beyond its aesthetic value, this pottery serves as a crucial archaeological archive, preserving microscopic traces of prehistoric life. Recent interdisciplinary research reveals that cultivated plants, household pests, and plant-based tempering agents left distinct imprints and voids within the clay fabric. Furthermore, impressions of woven mats and fishing nets provide direct evidence of the tools and materials used in vessel construction. Organic substances and carbonised residues absorbed by the pottery during usage enable the identification of ancient foodstuffs and medicinal plants, while also providing materials for precise radiocarbon dating, alongside carbonised inclusions. Collaboratively termed ‘excavating inside the pottery’, this scientific approach reconstructs past lifeways through artefactual analysis. This volume presents the theoretical framework of this methodology, along with illustrative, empirical case studies from Jōmon and Yayoi pottery.
List of Figures and Tables
Acknowledgments
Preface – Hiroki Obata
Chapter 1: Prehistoric Pottery in Japan
Prehistoric pottery in the Japanese archipelago and its dating: The beginning of pottery and paddy-rice farming – Ken’ichi Kobayashi
Pottery and the spread of agriculture in Japan – Dai Kunikita
The emergence of cultivated plants in Japan: Seed impressions and carbonised seeds – Kei Ōta, Tatsuya Kokubo, Takashi Sano, Asako Yanagihara, Aya Manabe, Hiroki Obata
Chapter 2: Vegetal Temper and Pottery
Vegetal-tempered pottery in the Jōmon Period – Eastern Japan – Akinori Abe
Vegetal-tempered Pottery in the Jōmon Period -Western Japan – Kazutomo Mizunoe
Vegetal-tempered pottery of the world – Yastami Nishida
Plant temper identification methods – Yastami Nishida
Examination of vegetal temper through phytolith analysis – Tetsuro Udatsu
Identification of plant materials tempered in Jōmon pottery – Yastami Nishida, Mitsuo Suzuki, Kazutaka Kobayashi, Akinori Abe
Chapter 3: Macrobotanical Remains on and Inside Pottery Fabrics and Their Uses
Identification of woven baskets, mats and cords – Yuka Sasaki, Shuichi Noshiro, Kazutaka Kobayashi
Woven items as pottery impressions – Aya Manabe
Identification of materials adhering to pottery surfaces – Yuka Sasaki
Fishing nets in Jōmon Pottery – Hiroki Obata
Chapter 4: Various Impressions Found on Pottery
Detected seed impressions on pottery and their significance – Hiroki Obata
Various insect impressions – Hiroyuki Yoshitomi
‘Hidden’ shell middens and discoveries from shell impressions on pottery – Taiji Kurozumi
Proposal for ‘a pottery-impression house pestology’: Reconstructing prehistoric life and food from insect impressions – Hiroki Obata
Chapter 5: A Comprehensive Analytical Approach to Prehistoric Pottery
Artificial intelligence and pottery studies: Advancing classification approaches – Israel Mendonça
Pottery studies and comprehensive analytical approach – Hiroki Obata
Conclusion – Hiroki Obata, Ken’ichi Kobayashi, Dai Kunikita, Yuka Sasaki, Yoshiki Miyata, Akinori Abe, Yastami Nishida
- Edited by Hiroki Obata
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