A forthcoming exhibition at the BritishMuseum, entitled The Power of Dogu, will feature ceramic figures from ancient Japan, known as Dogu.
Dogu are clay figures with animal or human features. Some are very obviously female while many others are not gender-specific. The faces of some figurines are concealed behind masks. Many have heart-shaped faces, some squat as if in childbirth, while others seem to be praying.
They have an interesting history going back several thousand years to the Jomon period in Japanese history, approximately 12,500-300 BC. The clay forms have been discovered at many sites throughout Japan, with more than 1,000 coming from two major cites; Shakado in Yamanashi prefecture and Sannai Maruyama in Aomori prefecture.
The exhibition will include 67 items, three of which have been designated National Treasures of Japan, and a further 15 objects which are ranked as Important Cultural Properties. The collections have been loaned by several public and private Japanese collections.
Highlights will include the so-called Venus from Tanabatake, Nagano prefecture and Dogu with palms pressed together from Aomori prefecture.
The exhibition will be on view from 10th September to 22nd November 2009.
