Cord-marked pottery is the characteristic ware of the earliest inhabitants of Japan. These Neolithic people, known as the Jomon (cord-marking) culture, existed on the abundant fishing and hunting on the Japanese islands from at least the fifth millennium B.C., surviving in some areas until the third century A.D. During this period handmade utilitarian wares were treated with inventive, often extravagant artistry, and regional separations between groups resulted in a wide range of types and styles. This earthenware food vessel, which came from the Aomori Prefecture in northeastern Japan, is remarkable for the fine quality of its clay and its sophisticated decoration. The cord-marked herringbone pattern was reproduced by cords knotted together and twisted in opposite directions.

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