Answer: The word “Jomon” means “cord-marked” or “patterned,” and it is a direct reference to the pottery made at the time. The earliest Japanese people crossed frozen land bridges to reach the archipelago, and like most primitive people, they hunted and gathered for food. As the Ice Age ended, the Jomon established villages where the people subsided on fishing and rice farming. They developed refined stone and wood tools for hunting, fishing, farming, sewing, and craftwork. Needles were made from bones, and wicker baskets were woven for storage and use.Thousands of pieces of Jomon pottery have survived to today, and these are the oldest examples of pottery in the world. The Jomon potters did not use potter’s wheels to make their vessels. Instead, they used a hand-building technique where coils of clay were stacked upon each other and smoothed using stone tools. Fibers and crushed shells were mixed with the clay to give it texture and strength. An outdoor bonfire was used to bake the clay and turn it to stone.
