Dōtaku

Historians believe that dōtaku were used to pray for good harvests, as the animals featured are natural enemies of insect pests that attack paddy fields.

In recent years, dotaku have been studied by researchers in order to decipher their origins, how they were created, their various purposes, and the reasons for the images on the main body.

However, further studies show that the Yayoi did not have cattle farms, and although several dotaku do have suspension rings and clappers, they make "muffled tones"[4] or "rattling sounds"[3] when struck, suggesting that they were not meant to be rung.

[4] In total, over four hundred dotaku[2] have been found in Japan, mainly in western Honshu, the Tokai District, Shikoku, and the Kansai region, namely Kyoto, Nara, and Osaka.

[3] Arching and extending over the top and the sides of the body is an "elaborate flange filled with sawtooth design and projecting spirals".

[8][9] These bells were originally made through the use of two-part sandstone moulds, in which "designs were carved"[7] in order to create the appearance of raised bronzes on the outer surface.

[11] Researchers suggest that, when not in use, dotaku were buried "in the ground to receive Earth’s life force",[11] thus ensuring agricultural fertility for the community;[3] they were also believed to have been used to pray for rain.

These beliefs and suggestions are supported by the fact that many dotaku had inscriptions of "flowing water, waterfowl, fish, boats, and agricultural objects"[12] on them.

[3] Some alternate theories include dotaku being used as "a sundial, producing gold, heating water for bathing, or related to secret Jewish practices", although these explanations have little support within the mainstream archaeological community.

[13] Through several more readings, Oba discovered that the drawings "contain references to precise persons, places, and events in Japanese prehistory"[13] as well as provided "info of shapes of buildings, hunting customs, and other aspects of daily life",[13] possibly left for future generations.