The Japanese paddle-and-anvil technique is an ancient pottery method used since the Jōmon era. A rounded stone or wooden anvil is held inside the vessel while a flat wooden paddle strikes the outside. This action thins and strengthens the clay walls, shapes the pot, and can leave decorative textures if the paddle is cord-wrapped. The method allowed potters to make large, lightweight, durable vessels without a wheel and gave Jōmon pottery its distinctive cord-marked surfaces. It remained important in Japanese folk pottery traditions well into later periods.