Katsusaka

pottery style

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Last updated

June 30, 2026

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The Katsusaka type is a style of pottery from the Middle Jōmon period in Japan, dating approximately from 2500 to 1500 BCE. This pottery was produced by mountain dwellers and is characterized by a burnt-reddish surface. A notable feature of Katsusaka ware is its extensive and flamboyant applied decorative schemes, which some scholars suggest may be linked to a snake cult. This style contrasts with the Otamadai type, produced by lowland peoples, which was dirt-brown with mica and had more restrained designs. The development of pottery during this period, including styles like Katsusaka, indicates an expanding use of clay for religious and symbolic expression, with evidence of ritualistic practices and the creation of figurines.1

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Japanese art
Jōmon period
The Katsusaka type, produced by mountain dwellers, has a burnt-reddish surface and is noted especially for extensive and flamboyant applied decorative schemes, some of which may have been related to a snake cult. The Otamadai type, produced by lowland peoples, was coloured dirt-brown with a mica…
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The Katsusaka type, produced by mountain dwellers, has a burnt-reddish surface and is noted especially for extensive and flamboyant applied decorative schemes, some of which may have been related to a snake cult. The Otamadai type, produced by lowland peoples, was coloured dirt-brown with a mica…
Read More