Jōmon – Japan’s First Era
The Jōmon period is the earliest era of Japanese history and occurred between 14,000 – 300 BCE. The Jōmon were hunter-gatherer people who were known for their pottery, specifically their “cord-marked” pottery. The word Jōmon is translated to “straw-rope pattern pressed into earthenware”. The period spans a large range, but is broken down further into six phases: Incipient, Initial, Early, Middle, Late, and Final. Many of the date ranges for the Jōmon period are not consistent from source to source and are debated. For example, the period’s beginning is sometimes listed at 14,500 or 14,000 BCE. The period’s end is also debated as some believe the Yayoi period should begin around 1000 – 800 BCE rather than the traditionally used 300 BCE.
Incipient/Initial (14,000 – 4000 BCE)
At the beginning of the Incipient phase, Japan was still connected to the Asian mainland. The last ice age ended about 12,000 years ago and the glaciers melted, which caused the Japanese archipelago to be separated from Asia. The closest part of Japan to mainland Asia was Kyushu; it’s believe the Kyushu people were close enough to occasionally interact and trade ideas and technologies with the people on the Korean peninsula. The Jōmon, being primarily hunter-gatherers, obtained their food through a plethora of natural resources. Tree nut/acorns, fish/marine life, Sika deer, boar and wild plants were all part of the Jōmon diet, which varied slightly depending on where in Japan each tribe lived. It’s debated, but there is evidence that the they practiced a small scale form of agriculture. Some experts say it is possible they grew nut producing trees, soy beans, and hemp.
In 1989, 46 earthenware fragments were found at the Odai Yamamoto I archaeological site. The earliest of these fragments dated back to 14,500 BCE. It’s believed the technology for making pottery originated in Asia and was brought to Japan by boat. The earliest Jōmon pottery was typically small bowls about 10 – 50 cm deep. Smaller bowls were believed to be more useful than larger ones due to the Jōmon hunter gather lifestyle. If the bowls were too large, then they were no longer easily portable. Even though the Jōmon were considered hunter-gathers, they were still semi-sedentary. Their semi-sedentary lifestyle, along with their abundance of food, made them able to support larger than usual population sizes compared to a typical hunter-gather society.
Early (4000 – 2500 BCE)
The climate continued to warm and became more humid in the early Jōmon period. The population grew dramatically as they continued their semi-sedentary routine and enjoyed the large quantity of food. Pottery that was found in the Kyushu area of Japan also resembles a similar style found in Korea. This suggest that the two were trading around this time. Stone tools, bone needles, woven baskets, as well as the usual cord mark pottery were found to be made and used in this period. Proof of their semi-sedentary life can be seen in the remains of square shaped pit-houses that were found along with the tools. Pit houses are structures that are partially dug into the ground and covered by a roof. They would have been used as shelter against bad weather and as storage pits.
Middle (2500–1500 BCE)
The population continued to increase substantially in the Middle Jōmon period. The temperature also continued to increase and reached its peak, which caused many people to move inward toward the mountains. The types of pottery and vessels being constructed became more ornate. Dogū (earthen figure) figurines of small humanoids and animals were also crafted during this time. The pit houses were still used, but started becoming more complex to include stone floors, rather than just dirt. Scientists were able to examine piles of refuse containing food remains, i.e. piles of animal and fish bones, and see that the Jōmon were becoming more sedentary and living in larger communities.
Late/Final (1500–300 BCE)
By the Late Jōmon stage the climate started to cool off and the population size started to decrease. There are noticeably less archaeological sites that have been found for the Jōmon after 1500 BCE. From what has been found, it seems contact between Korea and Kyushu increased. Korean style settlements were found in western Kyushu around 900 BCE. Rice farming, bronze and iron metallurgy, and new pottery styles were introduced. By the Final Jōmon period we see the Jōmon being replaced by new people as there is a dramatic population decrease. Outside of Hokkaido, Final Jōmon is replaced by the Yayoi, a new group of settlers, who are a farming culture. Within Hokkaido, the Final Jōmon is replace by Zoku-Jōmon (Post Jōmon) who are eventually replaced by the Satsumon culture in the 7th century CE. By 300 BCE the Jōmon period has ended and the Yayoi period has begun.
