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

　Along with earthenware objects with a handprint, earthenware with a footprint of the Early to Final Jomon periods, particularly many of the Early and Late Jomon periods, have been excavated from Hokkaido to the Tohoku region.
　This is an earthenware object with a footprint, which was made by impressing the right foot of a child aged two or three on a thin clay board. While generally, there is a hole on the heel side, this one is a rare case where there are two holes inside the footprint and an indentation of something woven on the back of the footprint.
　Since earthenware objects of the Early to Middle and Final Jomon periods have been excavated from doko (pits), it is assumed that they were grave goods. They seem to have been buried as keepsakes of the dead child or those of children upon their parent's death. These earthenware objects convey parent-child love or consideration among the Jomon people.