1.
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 弥生町 in 文京区, Tokyo, 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.
Key features
- 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