Digging into Mystery
Four Japanese high school students from Aomori/are visiting their sister school in Sydney, Australia. They are on a study tour/to learn about Australian history and culture. They are going to give a presentation/about Japanese prehistory. Shota will be the first speaker.
1 Introduction:/Dogu and Australian cave paintings
Good morning. Yesterday/you introduced us/to some examples of Australian prehistoric paintings. We were very impressed.
Some of the paintings/reminded us of Japan’s prehistoric artifacts. The photo on the left is an example of dogu (cf. photo 1). They are earthen figures/created in the Jomon period/(c. 11,000 B.C.－c. 500 B.C.). The Australian cave painting on the right/is probably older (cf. photo 2). There is something strange and mysterious/about both these prehistoric artifacts. You can’t take your eyes away.
In a moment,/we’ll tell you more about Japan’s mysterious little dogu. But first,/we’d like to share with you/what we’ve learned about life in the Jomon period. Incidentally,/the Jomon period gets its name from the “rope patterns”/that appear in its pottery (cf. photo 3).
People have found Jomon artifacts all over Japan. Misaki, our next speaker,/will tell you about what was discovered/at one of the most important sites:/Sannai-Maruyama.
2 Life in the Jomon period
Thank you, Shota.
Since the Jomon people left no written records,/researchers have been trying/to make a guess about them/based on excavations throughout Japan.
One of the most important excavations began in 1992/at the Sannai-Maruyama site in Aomori.
Researchers found six huge holes in the ground/with the remains of wooden pillars (cf. photo 4). They were the base for some large structure (cf. photo 5). The researchers also found evidence of another huge wooden structure. Probably hundreds of families lived in this village.
We know/that people first arrived there/5,900 years ago. Before that,/they had been moving from one place to another,/but then some of them/chose to live there permanently. They hunted animals,/fished in rivers or in the sea,/and picked berries and mushrooms. They lived in pit houses/and knew how to cook in earthen pots. The Jomon people loved to decorate themselves with jewelry/made of bone, stone, and shell.
This village had lasted for 1,000 years/before it disappeared,/perhaps due to climate change. Now,/lots of people are coming back to this site,/not to live there, of course,/but as tourists.
Now,/Takuya will tell us more about dogu.
3 The mystery of dogu
Thank you, Misaki.
The Jomon people created all kinds of artifacts. In our presentation, however,/we’d like to talk about dogu.
Let’s take a look at five dogu/which are very important cultural treasures.
The first one, “Jomon Venus,”/probably represents a pregnant woman (cf. photo 6). The second one, “Jomon Goddess,”/looks very modern (cf. photo 7). Some people think/that the third one represents a pregnant woman/praying for a healthy baby (cf. photo 8). The last two are unique in design (cf. photos 9 & 10). Look at the triangular mask in the fourth one,/and the heart-shaped face in the last one.
You may wonder/why the Jomon people created dogu. Perhaps they were obsessed with dogu. After all,/people have found more than 18,000 dogu /throughout Japan.
Researchers are trying to figure out/the true reason behind the creation of dogu,/but it still remains a mystery. Perhaps they were used for rituals. Or maybe they were just toys. We don’t know/what the real purpose of dogu was,/but we do know/that they were an important part of the Jomon people’s life.
Finally,/our last speaker is Ayumi.
4 Conclusion:/bridging the chasm
The Jomon culture/still exerts great influence/on us today. Okamoto Taro,/a well-known Japanese artist,/created the Tower of the Sun/for the Osaka Expo in 1970. It was inspired/by the dogu with a heart-shaped face.
Yamaoka Nobutaka,/a movie director,/had spent five years visiting 100 Jomon sites/before filming a movie about the Jomon culture. He says,/“There is a great chasm/separating the Jomon period and us. But as we get to know more about it,/we come to see something/that enables us to look at ourselves in new ways.” When you look at these dogu,/try to imagine/that they are looking back at you/through 10,000-year-old eyes.
You sparked our interest in Australia’s prehistoric art. We hope we’ve sparked your interest in Japan’s. Next year/we hope some of you can come to visit us in Aomori. We’ll go together to Sannai-Maruyama. You’ll see the Jomon culture up close.
Thank you. If you have any questions,/we’d be happy to answer them.
Four Japanese high school students from Aomori/are visiting their sister school in Sydney, Australia. They are on a study tour/to learn about Australian history and culture. They are going to give a presentation/about Japanese prehistory. Shota will be the first speaker.
1 Introduction:/Dogu and Australian cave paintings
Good morning. Yesterday/you introduced us/to some examples of Australian prehistoric paintings. We were very impressed.
Some of the paintings/reminded us of Japan’s prehistoric artifacts. The photo on the left is an example of dogu (cf. photo 1). They are earthen figures/created in the Jomon period/(c. 11,000 B.C.－c. 500 B.C.). The Australian cave painting on the right/is probably older (cf. photo 2). There is something strange and mysterious/about both these prehistoric artifacts. You can’t take your eyes away.
In a moment,/we’ll tell you more about Japan’s mysterious little dogu. But first,/we’d like to share with you/what we’ve learned about life in the Jomon period. Incidentally,/the Jomon period gets its name from the “rope patterns”/that appear in its pottery (cf. photo 3).
People have found Jomon artifacts all over Japan. Misaki, our next speaker,/will tell you about what was discovered/at one of the most important sites:/Sannai-Maruyama.
2 Life in the Jomon period
Thank you, Shota.
Since the Jomon people left no written records,/researchers have been trying/to make a guess about them/based on excavations throughout Japan.
One of the most important excavations began in 1992/at the Sannai-Maruyama site in Aomori.
Researchers found six huge holes in the ground/with the remains of wooden pillars (cf. photo 4). They were the base for some large structure (cf. photo 5). The researchers also found evidence of another huge wooden structure. Probably hundreds of families lived in this village.
We know/that people first arrived there/5,900 years ago. Before that,/they had been moving from one place to another,/but then some of them/chose to live there permanently. They hunted animals,/fished in rivers or in the sea,/and picked berries and mushrooms. They lived in pit houses/and knew how to cook in earthen pots. The Jomon people loved to decorate themselves with jewelry/made of bone, stone, and shell.
This village had lasted for 1,000 years/before it disappeared,/perhaps due to climate change. Now,/lots of people are coming back to this site,/not to live there, of course,/but as tourists.
Now,/Takuya will tell us more about dogu.
3 The mystery of dogu
Thank you, Misaki.
The Jomon people created all kinds of artifacts. In our presentation, however,/we’d like to talk about dogu.
Let’s take a look at five dogu/which are very important cultural treasures.
The first one, “Jomon Venus,”/probably represents a pregnant woman (cf. photo 6). The second one, “Jomon Goddess,”/looks very modern (cf. photo 7). Some people think/that the third one represents a pregnant woman/praying for a healthy baby (cf. photo 8). The last two are unique in design (cf. photos 9 & 10). Look at the triangular mask in the fourth one,/and the heart-shaped face in the last one.
You may wonder/why the Jomon people created dogu. Perhaps they were obsessed with dogu. After all,/people have found more than 18,000 dogu /throughout Japan.
Researchers are trying to figure out/the true reason behind the creation of dogu,/but it still remains a mystery. Perhaps they were used for rituals. Or maybe they were just toys. We don’t know/what the real purpose of dogu was,/but we do know/that they were an important part of the Jomon people’s life.
Finally,/our last speaker is Ayumi.
4 Conclusion:/bridging the chasm
The Jomon culture/still exerts great influence/on us today. Okamoto Taro,/a well-known Japanese artist,/created the Tower of the Sun/for the Osaka Expo in 1970. It was inspired/by the dogu with a heart-shaped face.
Yamaoka Nobutaka,/a movie director,/had spent five years visiting 100 Jomon sites/before filming a movie about the Jomon culture. He says,/“There is a great chasm/separating the Jomon period and us. But as we get to know more about it,/we come to see something/that enables us to look at ourselves in new ways.” When you look at these dogu,/try to imagine/that they are looking back at you/through 10,000-year-old eyes.
You sparked our interest in Australia’s prehistoric art. We hope we’ve sparked your interest in Japan’s. Next year/we hope some of you can come to visit us in Aomori. We’ll go together to Sannai-Maruyama. You’ll see the Jomon culture up close.
Thank you. If you have any questions,/we’d be happy to answer them.