Shizunai-Nakano style pottery (top) showing net impressions, with reconstructed knot structures and reproductions (bottom) (IMAGE)

Kumamoto University

Shizunai-Nakano style pottery (top) showing net impressions, with reconstructed knot structures and reproductions (bottom)

Caption

X-ray computed tomography (CT) was used to examine and digitally reconstruct net impressions preserved in pottery from the Hidaka region of Hokkaido, Japan, dating to the Early Jomon period (referred to as ‘Shizunai-Nakano style pottery’). This study revealed that fishing nets were (re)used in various ways during pottery production. Differences in thread twist direction, knotting methods, and mesh size provide insights into the nets’ functions and the cultural practices of the time—shedding light on the importance of net-making in prehistoric Japan.

Figure reproduced from Obata & Lee, 2025, Journal of Archaeological Science, under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

Credit

Hiroki Obata, Kumamoto University

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