“Flame-rimmed” deep bowl (kaen doki)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The swirling, dynamic appearance of the rim of this bowl is one of the most recognizable characteristics of wares from Japan’s oldest-known civilization. Although most Jōmon containers were cooking vessels, the wildly irregular rim of this type seems unsuitable for practical use and may instead have served a ritual function. Built with coils of clay smoothed by hand and with paddles, the bowl has a dramatically simpler lower body that was impressed with a rough cord before being fired in an open pit.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art