The readers of my previous article
(published on June 10, 2006)
have expressed a great interest regarding the picture which appears at the very beginning of that article - Photo 1.
What is a dogu? It is a type of Jomon ritual object. The first such object was discovered in the 17th century, and labeled dogu, “an earthen-ware figurine”. The archaeologists have since turned up approximately 15,000 of these dogu. Some represent animals, but most are human shaped. It remains unclear what they were used for. Since most dogu have feminine features: breasts, wide hips, and pregnant bellies, it is therefore assumed that they were perhaps intended to invoke the fertile earth goddess.
Almost all of dogu were found in fragments. They might have been broken deliberately and their pieces scattered like those of “medicine dolls”, used in purification rituals to dispel the source of a person’s suffering. Later in the Jomon period, dogu were placed in graves. Dogu were no longer produced after the Jomon period, which lasted from 10,000 to 400 BC.
The Goggled Dogu is among the largest dogu of its kind, and is the best preserved. As was mentioned before, many science-fiction enthusiasts claim it to represent an extraterrestrial. But scientists argue that dogu figurines should not be taken literarily. According to them, dogu daringly push the boundaries of the representational form. They claim that this particular figurine appears to be wearing the sort of bone “goggles” once worn by Inuit to protect their eyes from sun’s glare on the snow. However, no goggles of this type have ever been found in Japan. It is also claimed that “goggles” may represent eyes closed in death, or portray the magical power attributed to eyes.
The picture above, at the begging of this article, also shows a dogu (* see below for more comments). It is called Dogu with almond shaped eyes. The figure is female, and comes from 3,000-2,000 BC. It is, therefore, more ancient than Goggled Dogu which comes from 1,000-400 BC.
Dogu with almond shaped eyes was produced during the time when pottery was reaching its zenith; and so were also some dogu true masterpieces. It was made during the same time as “Flame-style” deep bowl, on Photo 3 in the article from June 10, 2006. During that period, as can be seen in the above photo, the base was broader, so the figurines could stand on its own, while the head and torso remained narrow. This resulted in an oddly attractive shape. This remarkably preserved piece is the largest hollow cone-shaped dogu.
Both dogu figurines discussed above (and much more) are currently on display at the Japan Exhibition, Montreal Museum of Archaeology and History Pointe-à-Callière, 350 Place Royal, Montreal, QC H2X 3Y5, Canada, until Oct. 15, 2006.
Museum's Website:What is a dogu? It is a type of Jomon ritual object. The first such object was discovered in the 17th century, and labeled dogu, “an earthen-ware figurine”. The archaeologists have since turned up approximately 15,000 of these dogu. Some represent animals, but most are human shaped. It remains unclear what they were used for. Since most dogu have feminine features: breasts, wide hips, and pregnant bellies, it is therefore assumed that they were perhaps intended to invoke the fertile earth goddess.
Almost all of dogu were found in fragments. They might have been broken deliberately and their pieces scattered like those of “medicine dolls”, used in purification rituals to dispel the source of a person’s suffering. Later in the Jomon period, dogu were placed in graves. Dogu were no longer produced after the Jomon period, which lasted from 10,000 to 400 BC.
The Goggled Dogu is among the largest dogu of its kind, and is the best preserved. As was mentioned before, many science-fiction enthusiasts claim it to represent an extraterrestrial. But scientists argue that dogu figurines should not be taken literarily. According to them, dogu daringly push the boundaries of the representational form. They claim that this particular figurine appears to be wearing the sort of bone “goggles” once worn by Inuit to protect their eyes from sun’s glare on the snow. However, no goggles of this type have ever been found in Japan. It is also claimed that “goggles” may represent eyes closed in death, or portray the magical power attributed to eyes.
The picture above, at the begging of this article, also shows a dogu (* see below for more comments). It is called Dogu with almond shaped eyes. The figure is female, and comes from 3,000-2,000 BC. It is, therefore, more ancient than Goggled Dogu which comes from 1,000-400 BC.
Dogu with almond shaped eyes was produced during the time when pottery was reaching its zenith; and so were also some dogu true masterpieces. It was made during the same time as “Flame-style” deep bowl, on Photo 3 in the article from June 10, 2006. During that period, as can be seen in the above photo, the base was broader, so the figurines could stand on its own, while the head and torso remained narrow. This resulted in an oddly attractive shape. This remarkably preserved piece is the largest hollow cone-shaped dogu.
Both dogu figurines discussed above (and much more) are currently on display at the Japan Exhibition, Montreal Museum of Archaeology and History Pointe-à-Callière, 350 Place Royal, Montreal, QC H2X 3Y5, Canada, until Oct. 15, 2006.
http://www.pacmuseum.qc.ca/
* Dogu with almond-shaped eyes
Important Cultural Property
3000 to 2000 BC
Prehistoric period: Jomon (10,000 to 400 BC)
© Minami-arupusu City Board of Education, Yamanashi, Japan
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