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

This large oval stone pendant is likened to the shape of katsuobushi. These are slices of skipjack tuna that have been simmered, smoked, and fermented into hard fillets. Although rough bumps and dents remain from its creation process, it has been carefully polished. A single hole near its center was bored from one side. Crafted out of high quality, transparent green jade, it likely came from Itoigawa, a city in southwestern Niigata.

Hanging ornaments made of green stones were popular during the late Jōmon period (2470–1250 BCE). These included large pendants that originated in eastern Japan during the middle Jōmon period (3520–2470 BCE), spreading to western Japan in the latter half of that period. Jade pendants like this one, however, are unique to eastern Japan. While resembling the shape of eastern Japanese pendants, those from Kyushu tend to be made of local stone that looked like green and white jade. Studying the large pendants produced across Japan can offer insights into the characteristics of different regions and the kind of exchange that took place between them during the Jōmon period.

Although large jade pendants are usually around 10 cm long, three known examples measure 15 cm, including this object. All three of these longer pendants have been designated Important Cultural Properties by the Japanese government.

This object was reportedly found in Ōmachi in Aizuwakamatsu, a city in Fukushima. While its exact excavation date is unknown, a photo of it appears in Cultural History of Aizu, Vol. 1: Aizu in the Stone Age (1937), by Nihei Kiyoshi (1883–1965). The image of this pendant indicates that its excavation predates the publication of this book.

By Shiga Takeshi, 2024/Translated by Rachel Lam, Edited by Sheila Ryan