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Body ornament

Final Jōmon period (ca. 1000–300 BCE)
Not on view
By the Middle Jōmon period, the food supply in Japan had stabilized enough that the Jōmon people could focus their activities more on crafts and spiritual life. This led to the development of a wide variety of body ornaments, including necklaces and hairpins, some of which feature very elaborate designs. It is speculated that body ornamentation may have served a religious or spiritual purpose, but it may also have represented social rank and status.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 装身具
  • Title: Body ornament
  • Period: Final Jōmon period (ca. 1000–300 BCE)
  • Culture: Japan
  • Medium: Bone
  • Dimensions: W. 1/4 in. (.6 cm); L. 4 1/4 in. (10.8 cm)
  • Classification: Bone
  • Credit Line: The Harry G. C. Packard Collection of Asian Art, Gift of Harry G. C. Packard, and Purchase, Fletcher, Rogers, Harris Brisbane Dick, and Louis V. Bell Funds, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, and The Annenberg Fund Inc. Gift, 1975
  • Object Number: 1975.268.327
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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