Flame style ceramic
As a flame-style ceramic ( Jap. 火焔土器 also 火炎土器 , doki kaen ) refers to Japanese earthenware the middle Jōmon time having ornaments resembling flames. This form of ceramic was first found in 1936 by Tokusaburō Kondō during excavations in Umataka in Nagaoka and was then discovered at more than 200 other sites in eastern Japan.
Overview
For the classification of the flame style ceramics, the north of Japan is primarily of interest. Hokkaidō initially falls into two areas, in the northeast with the "Kamegaoka ceramic type" ( 亀 ヶ 岡 式 土 器 ) and separated by the Ishikari lowland zone, in the southwest Hokkaidō and the north of the Tōhoku region, in which cylindrical ceramic types ( 円 筒 土 器 , entō doki ) dominate. In the south of the Tōhoku region, the "Daigi ceramic type" ( 大 木 式 土 器 ) occurs predominantly .
For about 4000 years, ceramics for everyday use, ie mainly for cooking food, i.e. pots and kettles, were initially produced during the early Jōmon period. As a result, bowls ( 鉢 , hachi ) were developed, which were later supplemented with a stand to make serving the food easier. In the middle Jōmon period, ceramics appeared for the first time that were not directly related to food. In this context, the two regions of Chūbu and Echigo occupy a special position. In Chūbu, ceramics in the "Katsusaka style" ( 勝 坂 式 土 器 , katsusaka-shiki doki ), in Echigo for the first time "flame style ceramics" were made.
shape
What is unique about the flame style ceramics of that time is the connection between vessel and decoration, i.e. function and ornamented appearance. It is also unusual that the two ceramic styles, the katsusaka and the flame style, in no way influenced each other, although they existed in close proximity to one another. In addition, no precursor form of the flame style ceramic has been found or identified so far. It just seems to have similarities to the "Shinbo-ninzaki style" ( 新 保 新 崎 式 土 器 ).
The vessels with flame-style decorations have a massive and projecting upper body, which turns out to be unfavorable for the balance of the vessel. The vessel body is usually provided with “S” -shaped and spiral-like cord patterns. Without exception, they always have four flame-shaped decorations. The early form of this ceramic developed in the Fukushima- Aizu region on the upper reaches of the Agano-gawa . In addition to the flame-shaped decoration, there are also sub-forms with crown-like ( 王冠 型 , ōkangata ) and cock-comb-like ( 鶏 冠 型 , tosakagata ) decorations. The latter alternates with a sawtooth pattern.
With the decrease in population density in the second half of the middle Jōmon period, both the flame style and the Katsusaka style disappear as without a trace as they had occurred. The reason for the disappearance was assumed to be a falling cold spell and the associated shortage of food. Tatsuo Kobayashi has argued that this phenomenon, however, did not result in the extinction of ceramic styles across the Tōhoku region. He suspects that an introduced flu is the reason for the population decline and thus for the disappearance of the flame style ceramics. So far, no concrete scientific evidence has been found for any of the assumptions.
The 57 flame-style clay pots that were found during excavations in Sasayama, Tōkamachi from 1980 to 1986 , are among the oldest ceramics in the world. They were declared a national treasure in the Archaeological Materials category in 1999 and are in the Tōkamachi Museum .
Remarks
- ↑ These are clay pots with a row of holes under the rim and a surrounding clay strip.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Werner Steinhaus: Small dictionary on Japanese archeology - Japanese-German (= writings on Japanese archeology I ). epubli, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-86931-803-5 , p. 105 (reference point for the German designation.).
- ↑ 火 焔 土 器 と 火 焔 型 土 器 . 信 濃 川 火 焔 街道 連 携 協議 会 , 2007, accessed January 4, 2014 (Japanese, with an illustration and detailed legend.).
- ↑ 川 久保 遺跡 . (PDF) (No longer available online.) In: 埋 文 に い が た No. 72 September 30, 2010, p. 3 , archived from the original on January 6, 2014 ; Retrieved January 4, 2014 (Japanese). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Tatsuo Kobayashi: Katsusaka and Flame Style - two opposing ceramic styles in different areas of distribution , p. 142
literature
- Tatsuo Kobayashi: Katsusaka and flame style - two opposing ceramic styles in different areas of distribution , in: Alfried Wieczorek, Werner Steinaus, Research Institute for Cultural Goods Nara (ed.): Time of Dawn. Japan's archeology and history up to the first emperors. Volume 2: Manual. (Publications of the Reiss-Engelhorn-Museums, Volume 11). Translated into German by Gabriele Kastrop-Fukui and others Reiss-Engelhorn-Museen, Mannheim 2004, ISBN 3-927774-18-9 , pp. 139–142.
