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Whistle and flaming earthenware
'Kaen Earthenware" a vessel designated as a National 99.12.16/ Temperature: 2C/ Weather: Snow/ Wind Direction: W
Start: Hirogami Village 37 36 32 N 138 59 32 E
Destination: Yamato Town 37 10 03 N 138 55 25 E
Distance Traveled: 17.5 kmInvited to Tokamachi to learn about Jomon Era (between 13000 and 2300 years ago) culture, I spent yesterday with students from the Karekimata Attached School and Tokamachi Elementary School learning about the significance of a "kaen" (flame shaped) earthenware vessel which has recently been designated as a national treasure.
Back on route toward Tokyo the day's sunshine was refreshing after several days of snow. Sun and traffic had melted snow from the road and heavy wet snow fell from branches in the forest. I made my way out of Hirogami Village and passed a sign which read, "242 km to Tokyo." Only 242 km seems close.
A sixth grader blows into the snakehead whistle on the rim of her pottery created in the image of Jomon pottery. A sixth year student blew into the snakehead shaped attachment on the rim of her own creative replica of Jomon Era pottery. "I made this imagining that it be a ceremonial vessel. Many elder men might eat from it. When all had finished eating and drinking, the eldest would blow the whistle in celebration of the meal," explained the young girl. Another student said, "making the little circle designs was very difficult." Yet another comment,"I understood how tough it must have been to live in the Jomon period." Not only did the class make their own pottery, they also discovered the different types and sizes of earthenware and how each is used. To further our understanding of Jomon culture we all went together to visit Mr. Sano at the Tokamachi City Museum.
At the museum, standing in front of a large three-dimensional model of Tokamachi and its surroundings, Mr. Sano pointed to the location of the Sasayama ruin. "It was at this location that we discovered several 'kaen' type vessels as well as many other traces of Jomon culture," said Mr. Sano. Tokamachi happens to lie in an area between and Nagaoka City along the River, which created a sophisticated form of pottery around four to 5000 years ago. Mr. Sano explained, "When Jomon people learned how to take the bitterness out of different types of tree fruits, the population grew and culture prospered. Kaen vessels are one example of this." The elaborate flame design along the rim made the vessel appear as if it were on fire. One theory says that the vessel was used during rituals. I tried to imagine what its makers were thinking when they crafted such a beautiful peace of art.
242 kilometers seems so close after having already traveled over 1200. Before leaving the museum, Mr. Sano said, "The most remarkable thing about Jomon culture is the fact that it lasted for 13 thousand years." He attributes this to Jomon peoples' skills to hunt, fish and gather food, their clever ways of providing clothing and shelter, and their rich culture. "The Jomon Era was one of the most stable eras in history because people lived off of nature without destroying it."
I thought about the short history the United States as a country and even the fairly long recorded history of Japan. Neither quite stand up to the longevity of Jomon culture but if we learn from our ancestors we may have possibilities for the future.
What do all of you think; do you think we can create a way of living that might survive as long as that of Jomon culture?
Greg
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