Japan Traveler

The Yayoi period, the second period of Japanese history, took place between 400 BC and 300 AD. Named after the Yayoi section of Tokyo where the first artifacts from this period were found, the Yayoi period is mainly characterized by new and more advanced forms of pottery and an increase in rice production. During this time, the Japanese expanded to cover the area between Kyushu in the south and Honshu in the north.

Government continued to evolve during the Yayoi period. Social classes became more and more apparent, with chieftains at the top. Villages became more permanent, and society as a whole become more and more sedimentary. Pottery, now created on a wheel, was painted or glazed. While the Jomon period saw high seas cut off Japan from the rest of Asia, during the Yayoi period, Japan reestablished contact with both China and Korea. This led to the introduction of bronze and copper working, new rice growing techniques, ceramics, farming implements, iron tools, weaving, domesticated swine, and new methods of pottery. From this new technology came symbols of prestige, including swords, spears, mirrors, irrigation technology, and more.

The Yayoi period is especially noted for three bronze creations: mirrors, swords, and the royal seal stone. These three items reflect the three pieces of the imperial regalia of Japan that play a large role in mythology: the sword Kusanagi, the mirror of the goddess Amaterasu, and the legendary jewel. Since the late 600s, these three items have been used in the installation of each successive emperor.

During the Yayoi period, the Japanese completed the transformation from hunter-gatherers into an agricultural society. The population then expanded even more than it had during the end of the Jomon period. Part of this was attributed to the new rice farming techniques and the increase in food that came with them. Archaeological evidence also shows that there was some immigration from mainland Asia, leading to blending of different societies and thoughts in addition to increasing the population.

Common traits with the Jomon period

While the Yayoi technology did change during the period, artifacts still show a very clear Jomon influence thanks to a merging of the two cultures. The Yayoi used the same kind of circular pit houses, stone and bone tools, and the same way of making lacquer accessories that the Jomon did. One of the differences, however, is that they integrated materials from China and Korea.

Yayoi Culture

While the earliest evidence of Yayoi culture was found on Kyushu, it eventually spread across most of Japan, including Honshu, where Yayoi and Jomon societies met and merged. Yayoi society, however, was much more complex and sophisticated. Their pottery, for example, was made on a wheel instead of by hand as it was during the Jomon period. Other examples include iron tools and weapons, bronze mirrors and bells, cloth textiles, and more.

Because of their more sedimentary lifestyle, Yayoi farmers were able to create granaries for storing extra grain. Irrigation techniques imported from China and Korea led to increased rice production. For the first time, excess and wealth were accumulated, which lead to even more distinct social levels and the collection of a tithe. Chiefs began trading with other villages and even Korea and China. Relationships similar to the vassal-lord relationships of feudal Europe developed around this time as well.

During the Yayoi period, chiefs were buried in square mounds circled by ditches. One of the most famous examples of this design is the Tatetsuki Mound Tomb in Okayama. Another style used during this time were square mounds with four distinct corners. These tombs can mostly be found in the coastal area known as the San’in region. These tombs are easily identified and contrasted with the later Kofun burial style that gives its name to the Kofun period.

As far as physical traits go, the Yayoi were taller, had closer-set eyes, and narrower faces, making them closer in appearance to the modern Japanese than the Jomon. In fact, modern Japanese are believed to be descended from a mix of immigrants and people from this period, while the indigenous Ainu of Northern Japan are a more direct descendant of the Jomon without outside influences.

The Chinese View of the Yayoi

It was during the Yayoi period that China first began writing about the Japanese. Wa, as the Chinese of the time called Japan, was first mentioned in 57 AD. One of the states of Wa, called Na or Nu, actually received a golden seal from the emperor of China, an act that was listed in the Book of Later Han. The seal was later found in northern Kyushu during the 18^th century.

Wa, according to the Chinese, wasn’t a unified country as the eighth century Japanese semi-historical Nihongi claims. Instead, the Chinese work discusses the many different tribes and communities that were scattered across Japan, each with its own chief and form of government. This description is backed up by archaeologists who have found evidence of many different tribal skirmishes. Villages surrounded by moats or built on higher ground suggest defensive building. In burial sites from the Yayoi period, arrow heads have been found, suggesting a society of warriors, plus headless skeletons, the bones of dead enemies, appeared in graves from the time period.

Food-wise, the Chinese reported that the Yayoi people ate a variety of vegetables, raw fish, and rice ate from wooden trays.

The Chinese records are also responsible for the mystery of the kingdom of Yamataikoku, which was supposedly ruled over by Queen Himiko. However, it is unclear where the location of this kingdom was. Possible locations include Yoshinogari in Saga Prefecture or Makimuki in Nara, where a recently excavated tomb may be the burial place of Himiko.