Among the various ornamental beads that have been transmitted in Japan since the ancient times, the comma-shaped beads (magatama) (勾玉) is the most remarkable one. The bead of this type is considered originally derived from the custom of dangling the tooth, the evidence of the hunted game in primitive society. The magatama is especially significant in that, it settled down to a regular, characteristic form rather early in ancient times, that some ones made of judiate, are very beautiful, and that scarcely the similary devised objects have been found in their precedence in neighboring countries. Magatama, therefore, has been made a subject of interest and debate among the archaeologists, especially with reference to the quality of its material snbstance, judiate, and its shape. Some of the judiate magatama of the Cho-ji-gashira (丁字頭) Type, which are thought to be the oldest type, are striking. And many of the ones which were produced after the fist type are most regular in their form. The ones of agate or jusper or some other material, that are in diffused form of "コ" (ko), a Japanese syllabary of Katakana style, are found in the sites from the mound age to Nara (奈良) Period. A considerable number of magatama gatama of this sort in rather perfect form have been found in the south of Korea which was under the influence of Japanese culture at that time. As to the magatama of other types, excepting the magatama found in the shell-mounds in Eastern Japan, we have found only a few of the so-called comb-shaped magatama (櫛形勾玉) and some other magatama of irregular shapes, which are treasured by some antiquarians. Among these irregular shaped magatama, the so-caled "Ko-mo-chi" magatama (子持勾玉), that are complicated and look crude, fascinate us. On the other hand, among the large number of magatama found by chance at the old burial mounds in Kinki District (近畿地方), and preserved by amateurs, are found some comb-shaped magatama and not a small number of jadiate magatama in animal shape. Some of these are bird or fish shaped. With the flourishing of excavating activities for scientific research after the war, some more magatama of this type are unearthed in Kinki District (近畿地方) and the north of Kyushu (北九州). I dicuss here on some of them. These magatama of bird, animal or fish shape are not uniform in their designs as most of other typed magatama are. Most of them ate made of jadiate as magatama of old style. Judged by their shape, it seems that they were made before the so-called Cho-ji-gashira magatama came into being. Also, these magatama are found in the sites of Yayoi (弥生) culture, which is considered proceeding the emergence of the magnificent mound structure. And it seems that the same technique are applied to these animal shaped magatama as to the magatama of the old type. Therefor, we may safely infer that these magatama belong to the period proceeding the time when the most common ones were made. Some of these bird, animal or fish shaped magatama strike us too large to be used as ornamental beads. Some of them are made of such a precious stone as agate, and bear such earrings which we often found in the burial articles unearthed at some archaic burial mounds. (See exaples shown in Section 4). Some of these large size magatama clearly show that they were made before the so-called "Ko-mo-chi" magatama appeared. (These "Ko-mo-chi" magatama are generally considered to be found in worship places). We may conclude as following. The so-called bird or animal shaped magatama, which can be thought to be the most characteristc of all the ornamental beads in ancient Japan, seem to prove that magatama have originally been made for the purpose which is beyond the practical and, as is told in old Japanese legendaries. Futher, it seems me that they, even made by imported material and technique, clearly show the way the ancient Japanese lived at the time preceding the period when these were made.
|
