okay so as you may know japan has a long history of carving comma-shaped beads (sometimes translated as “jewels”, their name “magatama” translates as “curved/bent precious-stone/gem”), the first beads of this type are from the late jomon period, 2500 years ago, meaning they *predate* the arrival of the kofun. anyway, its interesting, because like…its kind of an odd shape! not clearly representative and yet not that simple or geometrical. i like this section from the wikipedia section on the interpretation of the shape:
Archaeologists and historians are unable yet to explain what the origins of magatama forms are, or whether these forms can be traced back to one convergent source. A number of explanations have been suggested, including:[29]
They may be fashioned after animal fangs/teeth
They may be modeled after the shape of fetuses
They may be symbolic of the shape of the soul
They may be modeled after the shape of the moon
That there is meaning and connotation attached to the shape of the magatama itself (i.e. meaning comes from the form itself, and not that magatama has been patterned after anything else)
