gems, jade, pyroxene jade, fei cui, Japan, Itoigawa

This is an exploratory paper dealing with preliminary research on the changing mental landscape in Japan during the Jōmon period, viewed from the perspective of jade use. I argue that jade, derived from the Hokuriku region, played an important role in the “mental” landscape and identity of Jōmon Japan, but that its precise meaning and social context changed dynamically over time.