Session 1 - Ritual and Material Culture in Prehistoric Japan

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Join us for the discussion session on Tuesday, 4/26 at 4pm PT on Zoom:

https://usc.zoom.us/j/93665449622?pwd=QXBNd1VMS2MvTXUvbDJvWGFVUStvZz09

Meeting ID: 936 6544 9622
Passcode: 597010

 

Lecture 1

 

 

Lecture 2

 

 

 

Discussion Questions:

Week 1

Gina Barnes, “Japan’s Natural Setting”

-how has Japan’s geography shaped its agriculture?

-how might climatic extremes and regular disasters have affected the evolution of Japanese culture?

Simon Kaner, “Flames of Creation”

-how does the archaeology of Japan compare to other countries and regions of the world?

-to what degree can we know the people who made these remarkable ceramics, using only the material remains?

“The Earliest Records of Japan”

-how do these records of early Japan illuminate the importance of the proximity of China and Japan?

-what differences do you see between the early Chinese and early Japanese records of Japan?

Required Assignments/Readings

• Listen to Jomon pot podcast from BBC's "A History of the World in 100 Objects"
• Jōmon Culture
• ​​Dogū figurines
• Yayoi pots
• Haniwa figure
• Gina L. Barnes, "Japan's Natural Setting," in Karl Friday, ed. Japan Emerging (Westview Press, 2012), 3-15.
• Theodore de Bary et al, eds., Sources of Japanese Tradition (Columbia University Press, 2001), "The Earliest Records of Japan," 3-16.
• Flames of Creation by Simon Kaner

 

 

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[Rachel Knowles]

-how has Japan’s geography shaped its agriculture?

I really liked learning more about Japan's geography. Japan seems to be almost like the "end of the world" where a series of migrations led to the population of the different islands and despite the constant ecological dangers, people stayed there forging a culture out of its geography. I was struck by the different deforestations of the islands. I knew that Japan puts value in wood but it didn't occur to me that at many different points in its history forests have been systematically cut down for it. 

Simon Kaner, “Flames of Creation”

-how does the archaeology of Japan compare to other countries and regions of the world?

I loved looking at the differences and connections in archaeological evidence of Japan. Japan created its own unique culture and then adapted and adopted others aspects that they considered beneficial. And by looking past just the object one can imagine what technology and craftmanship it had. 

-to what degree can we know the people who made these remarkable ceramics, using only the material remains?

I don't think we can fully know the people who made the ceramics. One of my favorite scenes in Doctor Who is the Doctor at a museum looking at what the historians hypothesize about what the objects were used for. He flits from object to object saying "wrong....wrong...definitely wrong." I feel that way a lot about prehistoric objects with no written records.

“The Earliest Records of Japan”

-how do these records of early Japan illuminate the importance of the proximity of China and Japan?what differences do you see between the early Chinese and early Japanese records of Japan?

I find that the simple fact that the early records of Japan are Chinese shows the connection between the different areas. 

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[Kayla Kolean]

Just this year I started teaching about the Jomon and Yayoi Periods. I did not feel very comfortable talking about these periods since I had not done much research into them and made a basic overview for each.

I am excited to add the Flame-Rimmed Deep Bowl, and other artifacts shown in the lecture, to my presentation. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/44905 This gived photographic evidence of just what kinds of tools and items these people who live in this place created. This is a great way to also get students to brainstorm and think critically about why they might have made these items since the cost in terms of energy and creativity is relatively high for the other tasks people would have to do to survive. I was very much struck by what was mentioned in the lecture, that this could have been the first vessle in creation that allowed people to make and consume "Soup" for the first time (my students and I are always excited for food related content). 

I would also then like to jusctapose the Yayoi pots and show the difference between these two eras and allow students to speculate on why these changes may have been made. I could then relate this to changing trends in fashion or architecture nowadays for context.

Lastly, I was struck by the notion in our discussion when it was asked "are these people Japanese?". I would love to ask my students this as well, because it shows that just because this group started residing in the area we now recognize as Japan, do they have ties to the people living there now. When does "person of Japanese origin" really start? Great question and I spent awhile after the lecture and discussion thinking about. 

What parts of this lecture might you bring into your own teachings?

[Kayla Kolean]

That is a wonderful reference! I have not seen the show, but I understand the statement he was making. I am a person who is curious, and it bothers me to not understand stories or know the purpose to items. I doubt I could be a great archiologist as I would get so caught up in the fact that we just don't know, and might never know why and how the objects were made and used.

Did the Doju figurine intrigue you Rachel? At first I thought it was a totem of some sort, but then when the lecture went on to describe how the figures are sometime broken and found at opposite side on the gather area, I was blown away. I immediately thought of those broken heart charms that you might get with your best friend in middle school, which one half being "best" and the other "friend". Any thoughts?

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