National Treasures & Important Cultural Properties
of National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Japan

The Yayoi period was the time when the culture of rice and that of metal implements developed for the first time in the Japanese archipelago. People's lifestyles shifted from being based on food-gathering to an economy based on food production centering on rice. The social structure also changed and became more complicated. The introduction of wet rice cultivation from China drastically changed the lifestyle of the Japanese people. This agricultural development also affected the development of clay vessels, producing earthenware for different purposes, such as jars for storage, pots for cooking and bowls and plates with long leg for serving dishes.
　This jar represents jars that were popular in the Ise Bay area during the late Yayoi period. It is a dignified jar with a wide-open rim, where an osenmon (concave line) pattern and a bojofumon (a pasted pattern of short sticks) pattern are applied. It also has a round fat bottom. Inside the rim, an ayasugimon (twill) pattern is engraved while a yamagatamon (mountain) pattern and a rettenmon (a sequence of dots) pattern are engraved on the shoulder with a spatula-like tool. The entire surface is colored in different shades of red in a striking balance and this color contrast harmonizes nicely with the refined form, adding striking beauty to this jar. Since the beauty of these clay vessels is comparable to the elegance of clay vessels excavated from the Knossos Palace in Greece, they are collectively called "palace-style clay vessels."