A Clay Figure That Survived 5,000 Years Intact
In the autumn of 1986, earth-moving for an industrial park at the western foot of the Yatsugatake mountains exposed a small pit at the center of a buried village. Lying inside it was a clay figure barely 27 centimeters tall, almost completely undamaged. Archaeologists soon recognized what they had found: one of the finest figurines ever recovered from the Jōmon period, the long stretch of Japanese prehistory that ran roughly from 13,000 BCE to around 400 BCE. The figure became known as the Jōmon Venus, though the Agency for Cultural Affairs registers it under the plain heading dogū, meaning clay figurine.
The site, the Tanabatake archaeological site in the Yonezawa district of Chino City, turned out to be one of the largest settlements in the region. Excavation traced more than 150 dwelling foundations and yielded some 600 reconstructable pots, most of them from the Middle Jōmon, a phase dated here to roughly 5,000 to 4,000 years ago. The figurine had been placed lying down in a small earthen pit within the central plaza of a ring-shaped village, a deliberate burial rather than a discarded object.
What makes the find unusual is its condition. The great majority of dogū reach us broken, often with a limb or the torso snapped off, and many researchers believe they were damaged on purpose as part of whatever ritual they served. This one came out of the ground whole. That completeness, combined with its scale and finish, set it apart from the start.
Japan's First Prehistoric National Treasure
The figure was designated an Important Cultural Property on June 12, 1989, and elevated to National Treasure on June 15, 1995. The second date carries particular weight. No artifact from a Jōmon site had ever been ranked at that level before, and the Jōmon Venus became the first. Only five dogū in the entire country hold National Treasure status, and the museum in Chino keeps two of them under one roof, the Venus and a later figure called the Masked Goddess, designated in 2014.
The case for its importance rests on craft as much as rarity. The maker mixed fine flecks of mica into the clay, so the polished surface still catches light with a faint glitter. Few other dogū show this technique. The proportions were worked out with evident care: a heavy, rounded lower body that gives the standing figure a low, stable center of gravity, set against a small head and slender arms held out to the sides. Specialists read the swelling belly and hips as the body of a pregnant woman, and most interpret the figure as an image tied to fertility and the continuity of the community, though the exact beliefs behind it remain a matter of inference.
What to Look For Up Close
Stand in front of the display case and the face is the first thing that holds you. It reads as a flat, heart-shaped mask: narrow eyes drawn up at the outer corners, a sharp nose pierced by two pin-sized nostrils, and a small pursed mouth. This is the characteristic face of Middle Jōmon figurines from the Yatsugatake foothills, not a generic expression but a regional style. Tiny holes pierce the ears, which may once have held ornaments of some kind.
Look up to the crown of the head. It is flattened on top and carries a circular spiral pattern, the only decoration anywhere on the figure. Researchers disagree on whether it represents a cap or a hairstyle. The body below is left smooth and unmarked, the surface burnished until it shines.
Take your time with the silhouette as well. The widened hips and grounded stance were not an accident of modeling but a solution to a real problem, since a clay figure this size needs a stable base to stand on its own. Seen from the side, the back curves and the weight settles low, the work of a sculptor thinking in three dimensions about how the piece would be seen and held.
The Museum and the Country Around It
The Jōmon Venus is displayed at the Togariishi Museum of Jōmon Archaeology in Chino City, Nagano, which opened at its present location in 2000. The museum sits inside the grounds of the Togariishi site, a nationally designated Special Historic Site, and shows around 2,000 objects excavated from Jōmon settlements across the area: deep cooking pots, polished stone tools, and blades knapped from obsidian, a volcanic glass that the Yatsugatake region supplied to much of central Japan in prehistory.
The Venus stands in a dedicated room of her own. The Masked Goddess, taller at 34 centimeters and dated to the later Jōmon, is shown separately along with the pottery found beside her. Outside, a short walk leads to reconstructed pit dwellings at the neighboring Yosukeone site, where you can stand inside a Jōmon house frame. The site where the Masked Goddess was unearthed, the Nakappara site, lies about ten minutes away by car and is preserved with parking for visitors.
The setting repays a slower visit. The view from the museum across the Yatsugatake foothills has changed little in the five millennia since these figures were made, and the surrounding hills still hold the oak forests, game, and river fish that allowed a dense population to thrive here. A hot-spring bath and a farm-produce market sit nearby for anyone making a half-day of it.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Nagano
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Clay Figurine
- [ Matsumoto Castle & Kamikochi Hiking Tours ]
Q&A
- Can I see the real Jōmon Venus, or is it a replica on display?
- The original is on permanent display at the Togariishi Museum of Jōmon Archaeology in Chino City, in a room of its own. The museum also shows a second National Treasure figurine, the Masked Goddess.
- How old is it, and how was it found?
- It dates to the Middle Jōmon period, roughly 5,000 to 4,000 years ago. It was excavated in 1986 from the Tanabatake site during construction work, found lying nearly intact in a pit at the center of a prehistoric village.
- Why is it called the Jōmon Venus?
- The nickname refers to its rounded, full-bodied form, read by specialists as a pregnant woman and associated with fertility. Its official designation is simply dogū, or clay figurine.
- How do I get to the museum?
- From JR Chino Station, take an Alpico bus about 20 minutes to the Togariishi Jōmon Kōkokan-mae stop. By car it is roughly 25 minutes from the Suwa interchange on the Chūō Expressway. Bus services are infrequent, so check times in advance.
- May I photograph the figure?
- Photography rules can change by exhibit and over time, so confirm the current policy at the reception desk on arrival.
Basic Information
| Designated name | Dogū (clay figurine), known as the Jōmon Venus |
|---|---|
| Category | Archaeological material (National Treasure) |
| Quantity | 1 piece |
| Period | Middle Jōmon, approx. 5,000 to 4,000 years ago |
| Excavated | Tanabatake site, Yonezawa, Chino City, Nagano (1986) |
| Dimensions | Height approx. 27 cm; weight approx. 2.14 kg |
| Designation dates | Important Cultural Property June 12, 1989; National Treasure June 15, 1995 |
| Owner | Chino City |
| Location / display | Togariishi Museum of Jōmon Archaeology, 4734-132 Toyohira, Chino City, Nagano |
| Hours | 9:00 to 16:30 (galleries open until 17:00); closed Mondays (except holidays), the day after holidays, and Dec 29 to Jan 3 |
| Admission | 500 yen (adult) |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Dogū (Tanabatake site)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/201/10063
- Chino City, National Treasure Dogū (Jōmon Venus)
- https://www.city.chino.lg.jp/site/togariishi/1755.html
- Chino City, Togariishi Museum of Jōmon Archaeology: hours and admission
- https://www.city.chino.lg.jp/site/togariishi/1795.html
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japan Heritage Portal: Dogū (Jōmon Venus)
- https://japan-heritage.bunka.go.jp/ja/culturalproperties/result/3850/
Last verified: 2026.06.12