JADEITE - Canadian Institute of Gemmology

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Coleman and Clark (1968); Maruyama, Liou, and Sasakura (1985); Maruyama and Liou (1988);
Patrick and Day (1989); Brothers and Grapes (1989); Ernst and Banno (1991); Radvanee, Banno,
and Ernst (1998); and Banno, Shibakusa, Enami, Wang, and Ernst (2000).
Japan and Korea. Chihara (1991: 216) remarks that "probably the least known source of
jadeite in the world is Japan." In fact, a variety of colors and qualities of jadeite is found in Japan.
Initial attention focused on jadeite objects discovered in burial sites associated with the Jomon
period (roughly 4000-1600 BC) by archaeologists (see Mitsuharu 1966). Chihara (1999: 9) argues
that this makes "Japan the oldest jadeite culture in the world," although there are European jadeite
artifacts of similar age (see below). Among the oldest items that have been found are tools and
small curved pieces "rather like thickened commas and known as magatama, which measure about
four centimeters overall in length (Wills 1972: 151; they are sometimes described as cashew-
shaped). The latter appear to have been worn as pendants. There were also various shapes of beads
(sphere-shaped ones known as marutama and small beads called kodama) and large flat pendants
with a hole (known as taishu) dating from various periods. Jadeite carving appears to have died out
during the latter part of the seventh century.
Early writers assumed that these objects were imported from China (along with nephrite; see
Laufer 1912: 351-354), but later it was found that the source of jadeite was Japan itself. Such a
source of jadeite in Japan was discovered in the Kotaki district of Niigata prefecture in 1939 (see
Iwao 1953; also see Chihara 1971 on jadeite in the Omi-Kotaki area). Wills (1972: 151) comments
about the jadeite found here, that although "the veins of jadeite were thin and the quality of the
material not high, they would have been sufficient for a bead-making industry." Jadeite was
subsequently discovered in other nearby regions in central Japan. Seki, et al (1960) discuss jadeite
in Sibukawa district. Miyajima, et al (1999a, 1999b) discuss lamprophyllite and lawsonite found in
lavender-colored jadeite from the Itoigawa district, Niigata prefecture. Jadaeite has also been found
further south at Mt. Osa in Okayama prefecture (see Kobayashi, et al 1987). Chihara (1999)
provides a recent and comprehensive survey of the localities where jadeite has been found in Japan.
To the above localities he adds several others where some jaideite has been discovered. These
include three additional sites in southwestern Japan in addition to Mt. Osa (Oya, Hyogo prefecture,
Wakasa, Tottori prefecture; and Nagasaki), on the Kanto mainland, and on the northern island of
Hokkaido.
Jadeite in Japan is found in the form of jadeite rocks and veins as well as jadeite-albitite veins.
In the case of the latter, the inner portion is composed of albitite and quartz and the outer part of
jadeite. Chihara (1999: 14-15) divides the jadeite found in Japan into three main types: 1) the
Kotaki type, "the typical, quite regular zonal arragement is, from inner to outer, albitate (with or
without quartz), white jadeite rock, green jadeite rock, soda rich calciforous amphibole and host
serpentine"; 2) the Omi type, which shows a "distinct stratiform structure", sometimes with