Japanese Prehistoric Jōmon Pottery [Molding Earth & Freeing the Heart]

FOUR CERAMIC CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES Coiled Pottery - One of the oldest ways of forming pottery.  Long strands of clay which are laid on top of each other and joined through blending coil to coil.  Coil pieces can be almost any shape or size. Pinch Pots -  Starting with a ball of clay the potter opens a hole into the ball and forms a bowl shape through a combination of stroking and pinching the clay.  Many coil-built pieces are constructed on top of a pinched bottom. Slab Built - Clay slabs are cut to shape and joined together using scoring and wet clay called slip.  Slabs can be draped over or into forms, rolled around cylinders or built up into geometric forms.  Large forms are difficult because of stresses on the seams and because the slab naturally sags.  Some potters get around this by working fibers into the clay body.  The fibers burn out during the firing, leaving a network of tiny holes. Wheel thrown - The term throw comes from Old English meaning spin.  A piece of clay is placed on a potter's wheel head which spins.  The clay is shaped by compression while it is in motion. Often the potter will use several thrown shapes together to form one piece (a teapot can be constructed from three or four thrown forms).

CERAMICS: A HISTORICAL OVERVIEW Clay has been used for many things throughout human history: a writing surface building material money (e.g., In the Near East, the Babylonians issued hollow balls of clay with little stones inside.  A mark impressed on the outside showed how much it was worth.) storage containers for food and drink cooking vessels and serving plates ballast (weight placed in the hold of a ship to enhance stability) on ships (Clay vessels filled with spices, olive oil, and wine were shipped and traded throughout the Middle East, Europe and Asia.) chamber pots ceramic shields on space ships, in engine parts, and in communications a major tool for dating cultures in archeology studies The technique of pressing and coiling clay vessels and firing them in simple bonfires had probably spread throughout most of villages of Western Asia before 6500 BC.

"It is thought that Jomon pottery was made by women, as was the practice in most early societies, especially before the use of the potter's wheel." ~ ART HISTORY, edited by Marilyn Stockstad. From the Metropolitan Museum of Art website: "All Jomon pots were made by hand, without the aid of a wheel, the potter building up the vessel from the bottom with coil upon coil of soft clay. As in all other Neolithic cultures, women produced these early potteries. The clay was mixed with a variety of adhesive materials, including mica, lead, fibers, and crushed shells. After the vessel was formed, tools were employed to smooth both the outer and interior surfaces. When completely dry, it was fired in an outdoor bonfire at a temperature of no more than about 900° C." 

The Jomon (縄文) Period (Japan, c The Jomon (縄文) Period  (Japan, c. 12,000-300 BCE) is named for the cord-marked patterns found on much of the pottery produced during this time.  "Jomon people were able to develop an unusually sophisticated hunting-gathering culture in part because they were protected from large-scale invasions by their island setting and also because of their abundant food supply... Its people lived in small communities, in the early Jomon period there were seldom more than ten or twelve dwellings together. All in all, the Jomon people seem to have enjoyed a peaceful life, giving them the opportunity to develop their artistry for even such practical endeavors as ceramics. 

"Jomon ceramics may have begun in imitation of reed baskets, as many early examples suggest. Other early Jomon pots have pointed bottoms. Judging from the burn marks along the sides, they must have been planted firmly into soft earth or sand, then used for cooking...still other early vessels were crafted with straight sides and flat bottoms, a shape that was useful for storage as well as cooking and eventually became the norm. Often vessels were decorated with patterns made by pressing cord onto the damp clay (jomon means "cord markings"). Jomon usually crafted their vessels by building them up with coils of clay, then firing them in bonfires at relatively low temperatures. It is thought that Jomon pottery was made by women, as was the practice in most early societies, especially before the use of the potter's wheel. 

"During the middle Jomon period (2500-1500 BCE), pottery reached a high degree of creativity. By this time communities were somewhat larger, and each community may have wanted its ceramic vessels to have a unique design. The basic form remained the straight-sided cooking or storage jar, but the rim now took on spectacular, flamboyant shapes... Middle Jomon potters made full use of the tactile quality of clay, bending and twisting it as well as incising and applying designs. They favored asymmetrical shapes, although certain elements in the geometric patterns are repeated. Some designs may have had specific meanings, but the lavishly creative vessels also display a playful artistic spirit. Rather than working toward practical goals (such as better firing techniques or more useful shapes), the Jomon potters seem to have been simply enjoying to the full their imaginative vision."

Animals

Kate Radford Fischtein Marga "Sabra" Coil built., Engobe, Manganese oxide, 1160 C H: 50 , W: 53 , D: 0.18 cm

Betty Feves Marcy Eady

Contemporary ceramic artist Christine Federighi uses carvings and inscriptions to narrate symbolism.

Think about what makes you “you” and try to narrate your own personal symbolism on your piece.

REQUIREMENTS Minimum 6” form Coil decoration on at least 1 part of the finished piece Spherical decoration somewhere on the form Consistency Consider using your stamp to add texture and symbolism