Storage jar

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Contributions from Chinese and Korean immigrants enhanced the cultural complex—including wet-rice agriculture, bronze technology, spinning and weaving techniques, and a new ceramic aesthetic—that defines the Yayoi period in Japan. The elegant form of this jar was built of clay coils and then smoothed to an even base. Used for grains or liquid, this capacious jar is enhanced by bands of clay. The small tapered bottom indicates that this jar was supported either with a separate base or by inserting it into a depression in the ground.

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