Head of a Clay Figure (Dogū)

Toward the end of the Jōmon period, the most distinctive type of dogū was hollow, with large, protruding eyes—classified as “goggle-eyed” (shakōki) among modern scholars. This example, excavated in Iwate Prefecture in northern Japan, comes from one of the last regions to embrace rice cultivation, a development marking the transition to the Yayoi period (300 BCE–CE 300). The intensive production of these figurines during that time may reflect an effort to preserve the identity and beliefs of Jōmon communities amid cultural change. The head of this dogū was likely broken off from the body as part of a ritual act. These figurines, almost always depicting women, often display elaborate details such as patterned clothing, accessories—like the plug-shaped ear ornaments seen here—body tattoos, and distinctive hairstyles