Red-painted Wide Mouthed Jar. Yayoi Earthenware (Important Cultural Property)

Jomon vessels are generally described as solid and robust, in comparison to Yayoi earthenware, which is considered more refined. This exquisite jar fully embodies the sophisticated features of ceramics from the Yayoi period (300 B.C.-A.D. 300). From its abacus bead-shaped body, the rim extends out and curves out, with incised vertical lines along the exterior of the mouth. Three decorative flanges on the central area and one at the lower neck bring the entire composition together, while its neck area has been brushed with a flat spatula-like bamboo knife to create a lustrous vertical stripes. Composed geometrically, the piece appears simple, yet a closer look reveals the detailed innovations in form and the skill of decorative technique that went into its creation. This uniquely shaped jar belongs to Suku type of earthenware produced in northern Kyushu in the mid-Yayoi period. This example, excavated in recent years from Katsumoto-cho, Iki District in Nagasaki Prefecture, is one of the most outstanding examples of this type of vessel, produced at the height of its style.