The Yayoi period (400 BC to 300 AD) 弥生時代

Japan starts rice growing

The Yayoi period (400 BC to 300 AD) is a pivotal period in the history of Japan during which Japan starts cultivating rice and the first sedentary communities appear. It was also the time of the famous kingdom of Yamatai, ruled by the legendary princess Himiko.

A key discovery in Tokyo

The Yayoi period owes its name to Doctor Arisaka Shozo, who discovered pottery of a new kind during archaeological excavations carried out in the Tokyo district "Yayoi-cho" (Bunkyo district) in March 1884.

The latter, finer, more complex, were of a different type from that of the potteries traditionally associated with the Jomon period (13,000 BC to 400 BC). The name of this period was named Yayoi as it is also the month of spring in Japanese.

Korean style pottery

Korean style pottery

Wikipedia

Reconstruction of a Yayoi village

Reconstruction of a Yayoi village

Wikipedia

The emergence of new social classes

The rice produced from flooded rice fields required the construction of large canals to control the irrigation of the land - there are two types of canals, drainage canals, and supply canals.

With the subsequent concentration of the inhabitants, social differentiations were gradually introduced, which is attested by the observable differences in the tombs, some being much more richly endowed than others.

Funeral jars from the Yayoi period

Funeral jars from the Yayoi period

Wikipedia

Latest Articles

circle-pillars-jomon

The Jomon period (13,000 BC to 400 BC)

Prehistory is divided into two sub-periods in Japan. The Paleolithic, which begins almost 40,000 years ago BC, and the so-called Jomon period, which begins almost 13,000 years before our era.

Matsumoto Castle

The Sengoku period (1477 - 1573)

The Sengoku period (1477 - 1573) marked a turning point in the history of Japan.

L'architecture du sanctuaire d'Ise

Japanese History: Simplified Timeline

The history of Japan is both rich and old, and it is often difficult to situate the many Japanese historical sites in time. To simplify, here is a simplified chronology of the History of Japan.

See All (56)