Prayers dwelling in the earth: The origin of the beauty of Jomon pottery
Prayers dwelling in the earth: The origin of the beauty of Jomon pottery
Introduction: Beauty is born from "white space"
"Jomon pottery is beautiful," said Shirasu Masako.
Her words were not simply a tribute to the form, but perhaps an expression of sympathy for the fundamental human sense of beauty.
The Jomon people carved flame-like patterns and added spirals and protrusions to their cooking vessels.
Prayer and beauty reside in the "blank space" that is not necessary for life - this idea is alive on the surface of the earthenware.
The beauty of Jomon pottery: Expression beyond function
• Flame-shaped pottery (Sasayama ruins, Niigata Prefecture, etc.): Flame-like protrusions decorate the edge of the vessel, almost as if symbolizing fire itself.
• Spiral and rope patterns: Patterns that evoke the undulations of nature, wind, water, and the cycle of life.
• Asymmetry and dynamic balance: Rather than perfect symmetry, the fluctuating shape creates a sense of life.
These were not merely decorations, but rather a dialogue with nature and a prayer for life.
The Spirituality of the Jomon People: A Worldview Carved into Pottery
The Jomon people chose to live in harmony with nature.
The hunter-gatherer lifestyle required sensitivity to the changing seasons and listening carefully to the voices of nature.
• Pottery was not only a tool for cooking but also a vessel for prayer.
• Along with clay figurines and stone clubs, it is highly likely that they were used in religious ceremonies and rituals.
• The patterns were imbued with symbolic meanings such as fire, water, wind, life, and rebirth.
In other words, Jomon pottery was not "a vessel to be used" but "a vessel to be felt."
A modern question: What is beauty?
In today's world, we place too much emphasis on efficiency and rationality, and tend to lose sight of "white space" and "meaningless beauty."
Jomon pottery asks us these questions.
Perhaps beauty resides in useless things.
Isn't prayer an act of giving form to something that has no form?
This question is also relevant to WABISUKE's world of colors and seasonal words.
For example, it is possible to reinterpret "flame," "vortex," "earth," and "prayer" as seasonal words, and weave Jomon sensibilities into modern poetry.
Conclusion: Memories of the wind engraved in the soil
Jomon pottery is a record of the wind engraved in the soil.
This may have been the first time humans embodied "beauty."
These sculptures are not just ancient relics, but poems that resonate with us living in the present.