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The KNM Collection
Masterpieces of the KNM
Archaeological Relics
Dotaku (Bronze Bell) with Flowing-Water Pattern

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Archaeological Relics

Important Art Object

Dotaku (Bronze Bell) with Flowing-Water Pattern

Excavation from Yosano, Kyoto
Japan, Yayoi Period, Circa B.C. 1st century
H. 46.1cm
Kyoto National Museum (JK232)

Ceremonial bronze bells (dotaku) were kept buried in hillside santuaries away from everyday village life and were brought out only for use in certain agricultural rituals. Dotaku and their molds have been found in the Kinai (Kyoto-Osaka) district and the coastal region of the Inland Sea. The flowing-water (or maze) pattern on this specimen, also found on pottery of the area, is a characteristic design motif of the mid-Yayoi Period.

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