When was the yayoi period

Chipped stone tools were used as hunting tools and sharp-edged tools such as Sekizoku a flint arrowhead and scraper. Sanukite, Anzangan rock andesite and kokuyoseki obsidian were often used as material, and it was manufactured with a method passed down from Jomon period. On the other hand, there was stoneware called continental ground stoneware that came into Japan with introduction of rice-paddy cultivation, such as tools, including Hamaguribamasei stone axe and Eguriirikataba, stone axe, and farming equipment, including ishi-bocho a stone implement, sickle and stone stickle.

These were new types of tools adapted in the Yayoi period and they used tools for cultivation and harvest, as rice-paddy cultivation techniques spread.

Bronze-ware was introduced from the continent to northern Kyushu. Weapon type bronze ware such as bronze halberd, doka bronze halberd for rituals and bronze swords are well known in the northern Kyushu region, and dotaku a bell-shaped bronze vessel is known from the Kinai region. Bronze halberd, doka bronze halberd for rituals , and bronze swords distributed mainly in northern Kyushu, Sanin and the Shikoku region were introduced at the end of early period and manufacturing started right after that.

On the other hand, although dotaku is thought to have been introduced from the Korean Peninsula, there was a difference in forms of introduced and manufactured products, and the process of manufacturing in Japan Archipelago is not known. Weapon type bronze ware bronze swords and bronze halberds were a dignity symbol of the owner at the time of emergence, and it is possible that they were used as actual weapons, as its edge was sharpened.

Weapon type bronze ware at that time was usually buried as burial goods, which indicate that they were used as the property of the individual. In and after the first half of the middle of the Yayoi period, manufactured weapon type bronze ware such as bronze swords, doka bronze halberd for ritual and bronze halberds gradually increased in thickness.

On the other hand, dotaku is believed to be a tool for rituals from the time of emergence. However, dotaku became larger and part for hanging was lost as period went forward, therefore it became an object for viewing whereas originally it was a bell with metal parts hung inside for ringing. Bronze mirrors were also introduced at the end of the early Yayoi period and the manufacture in the Japan Archipelago started on and after the middle period.

They were buried as a burial good and were also intentionally divided hakyo - broken mirror for ritual use. In these manners, most of large bronze ware were used for rituals, except for the time of emergence. There are very few, but some smaller bronze ware were also excavated, such as the tip of a spade used as farming equipment, a Japanese-style plane with long handle as a tool, and an arrowhead as smaller weapon.

Apart from a few examples in the very initial stage few examples of bronze ware manufactured by grinding weapon type bronze ware imported from Korean Peninsula , bronze ware was manufactured by pouring metal into a mold. Many of the molds for bronze ware in its time of emergence, around the end of the early Yayoi period to the first half of the middle Yayoi period, were found mainly in south west part of the Saga plain, around Saga City, and Ogi City, Saga Prefecture.

By the latter half of middle period, bronze ware was intensively manufactured in Nakai and Hie sites at Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture and in Suku sites in Kasuga City. Most weapon type bronze ware were intensively manufactured in these sites, except for the flat bronze sword. On the other hand, dotaku was manufactured in the Kinki region. However sites with concentrated evidence of bronze ware manufacturing, such as those in northern Kyushu, have not yet been found and its manufacturing and distribution system remain unsolved.

Ironware emerged in the earlier Yayoi period and it became widespread around northern Kyushu mainly as tools, by the first half of middle of Yayoi period. They spread across western Japan and were adapted as weapons and farming equipment on and after the end of the Yayoi period. Ironware was mainly used for sharp-edged tools, especially implements and farming equipment harvesting equipment because of its durability and sharpness of edge. Smaller tools, manufactured by grinding a fragment of forged iron axe, were in use at the time of its emergence, but Japan made an iron axe called Fukurojo-Teppu literally 'bag-shaped iron axe,' hollow structured iron axe emerged in northern Kyushu by the first half of middle period and it gradually spread around western Japan.

In addition, a short sword Tosu - small knife and a chisel shaped tool are known. However ironware during this period were made from iron imported from the peninsula and iron making in Japan Archipelago is said have started after the end of the Kofun period. Ironware manufacturing by forging had started by the first half of the middle of the Yayoi period in northern Kyushu, especially in surrounding area of Fukuoka City.

On the other hand, ironware manufacturing by cold chisel cutting was common in surrounding area of Yame City, also in northern Kyushu, even at the end of the Yayoi period. Moreover, although ironware manufacturing by forging was introduced to the Setouchi region by the end of the Yayoi period, technology was clearly lower than that of northern Kyushu and ironware manufacturing by cold chisel cutting was practiced in general. A large amount of ironware from the end of the Yayoi period were excavated from sites along the coastal areas of the Genkai-nada Sea, but very little were excavated from sites along the coastal areas of the Seto Inland Sea and Kinki region.

It is suspected that the coastal area of the Genkai-nada Sea monopolized the route of iron acquisition. Therefore, a war may have broken out over the control of the iron acquisition route, but it is not archaeologically proved yet. Assuming that there was a war, the formation of a wide area political alliance, such as the Yamatai-Koku kingdom alliance, centering on powers of Yamato in Kinki region is also assumed.

For earthenware, bisque fired pottery earthenware, which was fired in low temperature oxidative flames, called Yayoi earthenware was used. Yayoi earthenware is often described as less decorative compared to Jomon earthenware. In actual fact, only earthenware in the early period and earthenware from during and after the middle period in western Japan, especially in northern Kyushu, is less decorative, but earthenware from other regions and periods often have various decorations.

For types of wares, there were mainly jars, pots and a small one-legged tray for one person, especially the pot was not general ware during the Jomon period and it is believed that pots became widespread as storage container, as rice became the main food supply.

Earthenware was manufactured in each settlement and it is vaguely believed that the material was self-sufficient in each settlement, but there was hardly any case of ancient structural remnants for earthenware manufacturing found.

Recently earthenware of firing failure and earthware with a cracked surface from high temperature are being studied and the possibility of intensive earthenware manufacturing in large-scale settlements were raised. From the fact that the form of earthenware strongly shows regionality, earthenware manufactured on local land and earthenware suspected to have been brought in from other regions were compared and there is a possibility of the movement of larger amounts of earthenware than previously assumed.

Woodenware was used as dinning ware and as cultivation tools. Although there are many excellent pieces of work in dinning utensils, which are lacquered and have fine decorations, it is rare for woodenware to be excavated in good condition as they easily rot, and the details are still not known. People in the Yayoi period used tateanajukyo a pit dwelling house for a dwelling.

Round and a square shapes are popular for ground shapes, and a rectangle and a square with round edges follow after that but they show differences in each region.

A dwelling with square ground shape that carries on the tradition from last period of the Jomon period and a dwelling with a distinctive shape, which has a round ground shape with a bowl like shallow concavity at center and a pair of small hole could be holes for pillars at the side of the concavity, both from earlier period are found in northern Kyushu.

This type of round dwelling is widely distributed in the south Korean Peninsula during the same time period. It is called 'Shokikurigata dwelling' as it was first recognized at the Shokikuri site in Fuyo District, Sud Chungcheong, Republic of Korea However the name is only used in Japan, and the term 'Shokikuri type-' are used not only for shape of dwelling, but to whole cultural description including form of earthenware and stoneware in Korean archaeological society.

It is assumed that the dwelling habitation site from the end to last of Jomon period around western Japan and 'Shokikurigata dwelling' became original forms of round plan dwellings that became main stream in the early to middle Yayoi period. In the middle of the Yayoi period, a round plan dwelling excelled in styles of dwelling plans around northern Kyushu to western Japan. A square with round edge type is also found. However, the flat plan suddenly changed to a square or a rectangle around western Japan at the end of the Yayoi period, and gradually standardized to a rectangle.

There was a unique type of flat plan dwelling site called 'Petal shaped dwelling' distributed in southern Kyushu. Also there is the various regionality in tateanajukyo a pit dwelling house , such as a round shaped dwelling with special ancient structural remnants called 10 read; 'Ichimaru' pit at center of its floor, in western Hyogo Prefecture Harima.

Although the majority of dwellings excavated from the Yayoi period was tateanajukyo a pit dwelling house , flat-land dwellings and dug-standing pillar buildings are also assumed. However flat-land dwellings loses most of the evidence of living when living surface is scraped and it is very difficult to recognize it as a dwelling therefore very few clear examples of flat-land dwellings have been discovered.

Also it is difficult to distinguish dug-standing pillar building and other warehouses mentioned later only from flat plans so, there are no clear examples of dwellings. Dug-standing pillar buildings were introduced from the Korean Peninsula to a few settlements in northern Kyushu during the earlier period. However the underground warehouse became mainstream by the early period and dug-standing pillar building almost disappeared.

Underground warehouses commonly had a round shape and sometimes had square or rectangular shapes. They all have flask-like cross-sectional forms. These are called 'Storage pits. Dug-standing pillar building warehouses spread around western Japan between the first half to the middle period. The structure commonly had size of hashirama bay, space or distance between two pillars of 1 ken unit of distance between two pillars x 2 ken, and some had different variations such as 1 ken x 1 ken or 1 ken x 3 ken.

This warehouse style continues throughout the Yayoi period without much change. Around the end of the Yayoi period to the beginning of the Kofun period tumulus period , Sobashira-shiki building dug-standing pillar building with a pillar per ken unit of distance between two pillars , grid type structure with size of 2 ken x 2 ken emerged, and this became the main structure of a warehouse. The burial system There are two classifications in terminology used in the burial system of the Yayoi period, which are; terms describing outside facility of burial facility upper structure such as shisekibo a dolmen , funkyubo grave mound or tumulus and shukobo burial mound surrounded by a moat , and terms describing individual shapes of actual burial facility lower structure such as kamekanbo earthenware jar-coffin grave , dokobo hole-shaped grave , mokkanbo wooden coffin grave and sekkanbo stone coffin grave.

All were formed with elements passed down from the Jomon culture and elements brought from the Korean Peninsula, and there were various characteristics of grave components in each region.

Kamekanbo was based on the manners and customs of maiyo custom of burial during the Jomon period, dead body, etc. It was the typical burial system in the early to middle Yayoi period in northern Kyushu. Simply an enlarged jar-shaped vessel was used for a container for burial during the first half of the early Yayoi period. However earthenware with its original shape, especially as a burial container, came into being by the end of early period and the shape shifted to maiyou earthenware from a jar-shaped vessel.

In the middle period, the earthenware slightly changed its shape, but a large kamekan earthenware jar-coffin for adult, which had the same basic characters as previous earthware, was established in northern Kyushu. Then standard sized kamegata earthenware, used as a daily container, started to be used as a burial container for children and infants; the kamekan earthenware jar-coffin burial system came to be established.

Kamekanbo earthenware jar-coffin grave were generally structured with two large kamekan for adults with both rims put together to seal. See on MetPublications.

Visiting The Met? Citation Department of Asian Art. Second Century B. Second—First Century B. Kofun Period ca. Introduction to Prehistoric Art, 20,— B. Japan, 1— A. Korea, B. We have looked at the DNA, the faces, the length of the period, and the spread.

We believe you now understand that various farming cultures blossomed in various places. Which of them do you think is the Yayoi culture? All of them, or some of them?

Please vote for the Yayoi culture based on your opinion. Do you think Rekihaku displays only replicas? In fact, it has so many real materials as shown below. We will not give further explanations. Please appreciate the excellent Jomon and Yayoi materials possessed by Rekihaku.

This is the beginning of the first archaeological art exhibition at Rekihaku. Past Exihibitions Special Exhibition Exhibitions. Outline of Exhibition What is Yayoi Culture?

Sponsor National Museum of Japanese History. Are clay dolls from the Jomon culture? The earliest domestic cats bones in Japan will be displayed. The roots of domestic cats were explored. The estimated age of the noble young woman is 17 years old.

We invite you to give a name to this woman in the venue. Please give her a lovely name!