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Jōmon period in Japan: Around 10000 BCE to 300 BCE 

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Jōmon period in Japan: Around 10000 BCE to 300 BCE 

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The Jomon period was the first major period of Japan, which lasted between 10000 BCE to 300 BCE. It was a neolithic period for Japan, as many of the people who lived during this period used stone tools and clay vessels. They did not have access to metal or more advanced tools yet, as early Japan was very secluded and did not bother to contact other nearby civilizations.

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Modular Production: Shang Dynasty (1600 BCE - 1080 BCE) 

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Modular Production: Shang Dynasty (1600 BCE - 1080 BCE) 

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Modular production using bronze was very widespread in Neolithic China during the Shang dynasty which lasted from 1600 BCE to 1060 BCE. The modules in modular production refer to the pieces used that are combined to create the final product. To create objects out of bronze, the ancient Chinese cast the liquid metal into a mold. The mold is considered to be the modules that are used, as they can be arranged to create a variety of shapes and patterns that could be formed within the mold to make it come out in the final product. This is why many of the bronze objects that are created using this method are one, solid piece of metal, rather than being multiple pieces stuck together. This type of production was popular throughout Neolithic China as it was time-efficient. You could pour metal into the same mold over and over to produce quantities of the same object.

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The Zhou Dynasty was a dynasty that began around 1050 BCE, by the Zhou people from the west of the Yellow River. According to the National Museum of Asian Art, the Zhou people brought the belief in divination, the idea of foreseeing the future, as well as the Mandate of Heaven, the belief that a king can only rule with the favor of heaven.  Although the change in power to the Zhou kings brought a change in how China’s social hierarchy would function, the quality and craftsmanship in bronze-making remained nearly untouched. The only thing that changed was the semiotics behind the symbols that were seen in bronze objects at the time. Many of the patterns and symbols for these pieces of bronze were now used to display one's wealth and power.

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Approx. 550 BCE / China / Spring and Autmmn period (770 - 476 BCE) / Bronze / The Avery Brundage Collection, B6OS552

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The yongzhong is a type of zhong, a bronze bell. Yongzhongs consisted of a vertical handle at the top which mounted on the hollow, graduated shape of the body of the bell. These bells are considered clapperless, meaning that there is nothing inside the bell that makes the bell ring. Instead, it was stricken with a blunt object to produce sound. Britannica claims that the earliest yongzhongs were created somewhere around 1000 BCE, during the Zhou dynasty. They were used in rituals and special occasions.

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The niuzhong was another type of zhong, that was prominent during the Zhou dynasty. Nearly identical to the yongzhong, the niuzhong has one little change that makes it different from its counterpart. Instead of have a long pole for a handle, the niuzhong had a closed arch that allowed it to hang. The niuzhong also may have been inspired by the yongzhong, as it was first created around 600 BCE according to Britannica. This was about 200 years after the creation of the yongzhong.

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Introduction of Bronze Technology from China to Korea: Zhou Dynasty from 1000 BCE to 300 BCE

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Introduction of Bronze Technology from China to Korea: Zhou Dynasty from 1000 BCE to 300 BCE

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It was an estimated time somewhere between 1000 BCE and 300 BCE during China’s Zhou dynasty when the art of bronze casting and modular production began to spread throughout Korea. Bronze objects in Korea had both utilitarian and ritual uses. According to Lee Jinmin from the National Museum of Korea, the earliest bronze object that was uncovered in Korea was estimated to be dated back to around this period, yet more exact dates are not known. One side of this object depicts a farming scene, where we can see people using tools to till the land. On the other side, there were many depictions of birds.

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Blade from Final Jomon period to Early Yayoi period

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Japan contacting the Korean Peninsula: Final Jōmon Period (1000 BCE - 300 BCE)

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Japan contacting the Korean Peninsula: Final Jōmon Period (1000 BCE - 300 BCE)

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The final Jomon period lasted from about 1000 BCE to 300 BCE in Japan. It was during the last century or two of this final period did Japan made contact with the Korean peninsula. From the Koreans, the Japanese people learned how to grow rice and metalworking. The first evidence of bronze in Japan was tools and weapons. This marks the time for advancement for Japan which led to the end of the Jomon period and the beginning of the Yayoi period.

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The Yayoi period was an important period that came after the Jomon period in Japan and lasted from 300 BCE to 250 CE. The introduction of farming rice led to the formation of a class system and clans throughout Japan. However, although bronze tools were introduced in the earlier Jomon period and were used to some extent, bronze in general was hard to come by throughout the early Yayoi. Because of the limited supply, bronze back then in Japan was seen as a status symbol. It was during the Late Yayoi period were bronze became more widespread and used.

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100 - 200 / Japan; Oiwayama, Shiga prefecture / Yayoi period / Bronze / The Avery Brundage Collection B6OB14+

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Dotaku: Late Yayoi Period in 100 BC to 200 BC

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Dotaku: Late Yayoi Period in 100 BC to 200 BC

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During the Late Yayoi period, when bronze was more available, the people of Japan started to produce a wide variety of objects. Bronze was used in armor, tools, weapons, and other objects as well. One such example is the dotaku, a bell used for ritual purposes. Like the zhongs in China, the dotaku features a similar shape, where the hollow base widens at the bottom. However, unlike the zhongs, the Dotaku is uniquely adorned with depictions of animals, rice, and grid-like shapes. According to Yozo Nanba from the Kyoto National Museum, the spiritual use of these bells came from the spiritual ideas of the Korean peninsula. Texts from China depict people in Korea honoring and celebrating their gods once after sowing rice seeds and once after harvesting them. This idealogy of worshipping the gods for a good harvest was passed on to the Japanese in the form of the dotaku bells, which represent agricultural fertility. Some of the bells are shown to have symbols of deer on them, as deer blood was believed to speed up the growth of rice plants. Many others feature the process of storing or pounding rice.