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Yayoi period (c. 300 BCE – 300 CE)
A period in Japanese prehistory characterized by the introduction of wet-rice agriculture, bronze and iron tools, and new pottery styles. Named after the Yayoi district in Tokyo where distinctive pottery was first discovered.
Named after the 弥生 district of 文京区, Tokyo (then called 弥生町), where a distinctive type of pottery was discovered in 1884. This period saw revolutionary changes in Japanese society with the arrival of wet-rice agriculture from the Asian continent.
Cultural note
- 稲作 (wet-rice farming) was introduced from the Korean peninsula and China
- 青銅器 (bronze tools) and 鉄器 (iron tools) came into use
- Settled agricultural communities replaced the earlier hunter-gatherer lifestyle
- Social stratification and early political structures began to form