Otaru City Museum Director Naoaki Ishikawa Updated September 28, 2021

The first report of "Jomon pottery" in Otaru, Hokkaido, was made by American biologist Edward S. Morse on July 26, 1878 (Meiji 11). Some people may be familiar with the name "Morse." He appears in Japanese history textbooks as "the archaeologist who discovered the Omori Shell Mound."

The name "Jomon pottery" comes from the term "cord marked pottery" used by Morse in his report on the Omori Shell Mound in Tokyo. Current research indicates that the Jomon period (i.e., Jomon pottery) began around 16,000 years ago, and continued in Hokkaido until around 300 BC, when it was replaced by "post-Jomon pottery."

The defining feature of Jomon pottery is, without a doubt, the "Jomon" pattern. While the production method of pressing a rope-like object onto the surface of pottery is not uncommon around the world, the technique of rolling a rope-like tool over the surface of pottery to create patterns can be said to be unique to the Japanese archipelago.

So, what was Jomon pottery used for? Current research suggests that it originated independently in the Japanese archipelago, and its main purpose was cooking. In the Paleolithic culture up to that point, there was a cooking method known as "roasting," but there was no way to eat hard nuts such as acorns.

The invention of pottery was a revolutionary development, as it made it possible to use plant-based foods in addition to meat and fish. The increase in food resources led to an increase in population, and many ruins were left behind throughout the Japanese archipelago.

Since they were used for cooking (pots for other purposes also increased from the middle period onwards), they were meant to be specialized for their function as a pot, but this is also one of the characteristics of the Jomon culture, with decorative vessel shapes and what could be described as excessive patterns on pottery. However, the base was still a pot. For this reason, they evolved into a shape with good thermal efficiency, which became a cylindrical shape that opens gently upwards.

Today, it is shaped more like a bowl, but in the Jomon period, this shape was the most functional. This is because the heat source was a hearth, or irori. A plump shape was important, as it could be placed in the center of the hearth and would easily absorb heat from the surrounding area, rather than from the hearth itself.

If you look closely at the Jomon pottery (approximately 3,500 years old) on display at the Canal Museum, you will notice that some of the pottery has turned red on the bottom half due to heat, and some has soot on it.

In fact, some of the pottery has burnt spots on the inside. Currently, research is underway to chemically analyze the burnt spots on Jomon pottery from all over the country and to determine what people ate based on differences in isotopes and other factors.

The Morse survey conducted in 1878, which we introduced at the beginning, is believed to be the first academic excavation in Hokkaido. The site was on the southern slope of Temiya Park, now known as the "Temiya Park Shita Ruins." Excavations conducted about 30 years ago uncovered a large number of pottery and stone tools from the late Early to early Middle Jomon period (approximately 6,500 years ago), as well as ornaments with shapes never seen anywhere else in the country. The "density" of nearly 300,000 pottery fragments and other items is by far the highest in Otaru to date.

Judging from the amount of pottery fragments, it is clear that a settlement of a certain number of people existed here for a certain period of time, making this the first "village" in Otaru. Furthermore, a stone circle from the late Jomon period (approximately 3,500 years ago) remains on the outskirts of Otaru. This is a valuable archaeological site where you can see with your own eyes the large structures created by people of the Jomon period. We highly recommend that you come and see it for yourself.

When you visit the site, you will see that it is surrounded by mountains and fields and you cannot see the sea, but geological surveys have revealed that when the stone circle was built, there was a large inlet near JR Ranshima Station and that the site was on a hill upstream of the river from there. Large quantities of pottery, wooden tools, and giant pillars have been found on the riverbank.

The area near this bank is called the Oshorodoba Ruins, and the Canal Museum displays earthenware and wooden products excavated from the site. Earthenware is a kitchen utensil. What was boiled in this vessel, and what kind of food was cooked? Why not look at the earthenware while letting your imagination wander?

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