WORLD HUNTED JAMONS MADE POTTERY
For a long time, the prehistoric Japanese people were a mystery. Archaeologists know they created pottery over twelve thousand years ago, at a time when most societies were still hunting and gathering. As these early forerunners of modern Japanese grew more comfortable with creating pottery, it became more and more elaborate, and much of what historians know of early Japanese life comes from the information on these recovered pots, which were called "Jamon," and which also became the name of the people who created them. These pots had elaborate rope-patterns on them that gave them their name, and they became more elaborate as time went on . This early culture clearly was interested in more than simple pots to use for everyday life, as the increasingly elaborate decorations show. They were interested in beauty, and that is a trait that has continued throughout Japanese history.