Pottery that looks like dancing flames.

And a clay figurine that seems to be wearing goggles and a spacesuit.

These were both made during the Jomon Period,

thought to have begun on the Japanese archipelago over 16,000 years ago.

Items like this are still being found all over Japan today,

offering us a unique glimpse into life during this era.

The Jomon period was a time of pit houses, and clay pottery was part of everyday life.

This era has continued to serve as a major inspiration to many modern creators.

I'll be exploring just how these artists have adopted Jomon aesthetics today.

Wow! Jomon everywhere!

And I'll be exploring some Jomon-inspired designs that border on futuristic.

I want to know just what it is about Jomon pottery that captivates these creators.

This time on Design Stories, we uncover how the Jomon period lives on today.

Today we're talking about 'Jomon.'

Now the first thing that word makes me think of is the design of Jomon earthenware pots.

What was the significance of those complex patterns?

For today,I'm meeting someone whose been inspired by the jomon.

Let's go!

I've come to Yokosuka, in Kanagawa Prefecture.

There's a studio in the mountains here that I hear makes modern Jomon pottery.

- Hi, I'm Andy.
- Hello.

I'm Taichi.

Yakuoji Taichi studied sociology before turning to pottery after graduation.

Over his long training, he started to take an interest in the primitive approach of Jomon potters,

who spent time on each of their creations.

He began experimenting with different clay and firing techniques,

hoping to create something close to Jomon-period pots.

So what did he come up with?

Excuse me.
Oh wow!

Jomon everywhere!

This pattern's extraordinary.

It's so Jomon.

So many complex patterns.
Just look at this spiral!

This is a common motif.

It moves towards the center
and then back outward.

A balance of energy output and input.
I find it very appealing.

It's common as a Jomon pot
motif and I wanted to use it.

I see.

- It's a big influence on you?
- Definitely.

The Jomon pots that have been discovered to date often feature spiral motifs.

It's a design that evokes a clash of unimaginable energy.

And it was this very energy that inspired Yakuoji to make his own pots.

The people making pots back then
had no gallery or exhibition space.

It was just part of their lives.

They weren't for showing people,
or for selling.

- Just everyday tools.
- Yet they poured so much into them.

There's logic behind the shape
of most pots today.

Size too.
There's always a reason.

But that's not the case
with Jomon pots.

And that's what lies at
the root of your own work.

I hope so.

These clay pots changed lives.

Combined with fire, I'm sure they made all sorts of complex cooking possible.

But there's more to these designs than functionality.

The pots are known for their 'nawa,' or rope patterns.

Potters would press and roll rope onto the clay to make these ridges.

These shapes look so much like fire that this type of pot came to be called 'flame pottery.'

This pot has a face on its rim... and another on its body.

It's thought that the rim represented a mother... and the body, her unborn child.

Could it be a symbol of birth?

Sites around Japan have turned up countless clay figurines that seem to depict people and animals.

Yakuoji told me that as a creator, he feels envy towards such unique designs.

I have a book.

Of clay figurines?

There's so much mystery behind them.

Just extraordinary.

- Incomprehensible.
- They really are.

What is this one?

Looks like a cartoon character.

It's very freeing to know
I can do what I want.

Jomon people were very skilled.

I think they could have made
realistic depictions.

- But they chose not to.
- Opted for this.

I'm envious.

I want to make
something incomprehensible.

Yakuoji showed me a few of his Jomon inspired works.

They're much more than just replicas - they're full of creative energy.

No idea what animals they are
but they're great.

I wanted to make something modern.
Not a replica.

To express yourself.

I love this. What is it?

What could it be?

- Anything?
- And nothing.

- I don't want to define anything.
- You want to leave it open.

I bet kids would store coins in it.

Then break it open!

Something that exists beyond meaning or function.

That was Yakuoji's goal for this work.

It's a large sphere, carved with complex, geometric patterns.

These are amazing.

What are they?

Undefined, I'm sorry!
Why do I keep asking?

They're spheres.

A sphere isn't Eastern, Western,
ancient, or modern.

It's just a simple shape.

I used it as a base
and threw all my creativity at it.

They're just extraordinary.

And fun!

I'd love to dive into this world.

They inspire that emotion in me.

There are modern marks, too.
Bolts, and tire marks.

Along here.

I'm a modern artist baking
modern designs onto it.

Jomon pots were patterned using Jomon tools,

so Yakuoji has chosen to make patterns from modern tools.

- I roll this while it's damp.
- While pressing it in.

A typical Jomon rope pattern.

- There are lots of patterns.
- You can make all kinds.

This is the Jomon approach.

And this is modern.
My tools.

- A bolt?
- Right.

I've been using this a lot lately.

Time to give it a try myself.

- Too hard?
- No, you're good.

Very good.

May I use the bamboo?

I'll try for some depth too.

Use a thin thread.
Or make a spiral.

I've never been good
at this kind of thing.

- You're doing great!
- I don't have an eye for it.

I'm done!

- Excellent.
- That was fun!

I bet Jomon creators had fun too.
You can see that in their work.

It's funny.
Nobody needs a pattern, right?

It's human instinct.
We're drawn to beauty.

We want enrichment.

- I think that's what this is.
- The root of all design.

Design is encoded in our DNA.

We seek out beauty
as well as function.

Design is about adding beauty
to function.

My very first Jomon design.

I'm pretty proud of this one!

Next, I'll be learning how to fire my work, Jomon style.

But first, Yakuoji wants me to chop firewood...

- You've never chopped firewood?
- Never.

Maybe I could get a job here!

Just wood, clay and an open fire are all we need for this Jomon Period firing technique.

We place our clay creations in a circle.

And the wood in the center.

Before we get firing, Yakuoji purifies the clay with sake - a prayer to the deities of fire.

We have to go slow or the clay breaks.

Raise the temperature slowly.

I see.

We go slow. Take our time.

We so rarely get to gaze
into flames these days.

When you light a fire like this
it draws other people.

You form new connections.

Spark new stories.

That's one of the charms of fire.

I bet Jomon people
would have gathered too.

You'd have kids running round.

Start dancing in a ring.

Yes, definitely.

That's lasted 10,000 years.

Talk about a long-lived medium.

We get to look upon the things
they made for their own use.

Maybe our work will last
another 10,000 years.

But I'm not thinking about the future.

I want to represent the now.

Jomon designs have inspired many of Japan's top artists.

The provocative art of Taro Okamoto, for example.

In the post-war era of the 1950s, he produced countless avant-garde paintings.

One day, he happened upon some Jomon pottery tucked away in a museum.

Back then, they were just archaeological relics - no-one considered them to be art.

But Taro was deeply impressed by their dynamic form,

and made powerful arguments that they were the true root of Japanese aesthetics.

After discovering the beauty of Jomon art, Taro poured that energy into his own work.

He completed his most famous artwork in 1970.

The "Tower of the Sun" is an enormous, 70-meter-high structure, inspired by Jomon figurines.

It's an extraordinary form that carries the Jomon story Taro uncovered into the future for new generations to explore.

I'm visiting the town of Shigaraki in Shiga prefecture, which is one of Japan's major pottery regions.

It's especially famous for tanuki ornaments, but I'm here to meet an artist who has been captivated by Jomon pottery.

All right so I'm here to check out a piece by an artist who has been in inspired by the Jomon period and I think this is it.

I was expecting a simple clay pot.

This metallic creation looks more like something out of a sci-fi movie.

Look at that steely gaze!

This definitely feels more futuristic than ancient...

- Hello!
- Hello, welcome.

It's a pleasure to meet you.

I've just been looking at your work.

It looks metallic.
Did you fire it?

I created this color by firing clay.

Kim added a glaze to his clay to produce this incredible sheen.

Which elements were
inspired by Jomon pottery?

I fell for the twisting ornamentation
of Jomon flame pottery.

Then I put my own spin on it.

I wanted to create a modern
version of that design.

It's very geometric.
Look at these clean, sharp lines.

It feels very modern, very new.

- That's your contemporary spin?
- Right.

I was thinking about modern motifs.

Then I found a motherboard
in the trash.

- Right!
- Can you see the inspiration?

Yes, it all makes sense.
It was a circuit board!

A ceramic pattern from a computer motherboard!

Kim has an incredible imagination.

Apparently the top part of this piece also has links to Jomon art.

It looks like flame pottery.

I'm a long-time fan
of street culture.

This is often used as a fire pattern.

- This part?
- Yes.

I see that as a modern
evolution of flame pottery.

It's a bit like samurai armor.

I've always loved SF movies,
mecha anime, and street culture.

Some people see Darth Vader's helmet.

Now you mention it!

I imagine the past and the future
in the same way.

What is the creator thinking?
That's always in my mind.

That one famous figurine
totally looks like an astronaut.

It's so futuristic, right?

- Kinda funny
- I know.

In that context, this really feels
like a new Jomon figurine.

Turning Jomon designs into science fiction.

Kim's going to show me some new figurines that he's just completed.

- What amazing shapes!
- Thank you.

So I suppose you would also
call these...

...new Jomon figurines?

Bright blue clay figurines.

Kim skipped the glaze and fired these pieces with only blue paint to create this unconventional matte texture.

He's incorporated another common Jomon motif for this piece: a snake.

It's wrapped itself around the head of a deity.

The word Jomon comes from rope
which was used to make patterns.

I didn't know that.

Some researchers think
the rope patterns represent snakes.

Other motifs include
frogs and lizards.

- They all shed their skins.
- True.

Maybe a depiction of
renewal or rebirth.

It would be such a shocking thing
to witness.

Yes, a real surprise!

So the natural world would
have been a major influence.

But they had a different
perspective from our own.

I'd like to go back to
that kind of perspective myself.

The world was so unknown.
How would it look to me?

That's something I try
to keep in mind.

A unique style, combined with an ancient aesthetic.

But how does Kim go about creating such striking artworks?

No sketches.
You already have a design in mind?

You know what you're going to carve.

I don't use charts.
I just follow a single principle.

One rule for how the pattern
will unfold. The rest is instinct.

- Instinct?
- I let it take over.

So what is your principle
for this piece?

Ripples on water.

When you throw a rock into
still water, energy ripples outwards.

That's the principle I've decided on.

The eye is the stone.
It spreads outward from here.

Every one of Kim's artworks starts from a totally blank slate.

But how did he discover Jomon design in the first place?

It was like falling in love.

- Love?
- It felt like fate.

- A romance with Jomon.
- Yeah.

I was examining a Jomon pot from
Japan's national treasure archives.

I felt an electric shock.
I was blown away by what I saw.

- Love at first sight.
- Exactly. It was electric.

An unbroken ceramic pot that survived
for millennia. A time capsule.

It's exciting to imagine someone
finding your work in the future.

Definitely.

That electric shock
I got from seeing the Jomon pot...

I hope I can give that
to someone else in the future.

I wonder how people ten thousand years from now will react to Kim's work!

Jomon pottery is a medium and a time capsule that shows us glimpses of the past...

...and helps us ensure this story continues into the future.