In the meantime, in the Japanese islands, other complex polities developed, reflecting local changes as well as contact from the peninsula, Lelang, and mainland. After the long period known as the Jomon, which was characterized by cord-marked pottery, new plainer pottery ushered in a period known as Yayoi, although more important in the distinction between Jomon and Yayoi is the intensive growing of rice. A series of AMS dates, as well as tree rings, confirm that Yayoi is much earlier than was once thought. Yayoi appeared first in Kyushu, the major island nearest to the Korean peninsula, as early as 900 BC, and spread eastward and northward. The earliest Yayoi pottery is related in both shapes and manufacturing technology to Mumun in Korea, but it is not identical. Whether this represents migration of peoples from the Korean peninsula or diffusion of ideas, or some combination, is the subject of debate. The consensus among archaeologists who work in Japan is that some migration from the peninsula occurred, but the previous Jomon inhabitants also contributed to the continuing population. The new dating of the elaborate Final Jomon of Kamegoaka in northern Honshu and the Initial Yayoi in Kyushu are contemporaneous.
While rice is a hallmark of Yayoi, some rice is found in Jomon sites as early as Early Jomon: it does not appear that Jomon sites practiced agriculture as their subsistence base. On the other hand, large rice paddies, with remains of wooden clogs, hoes, and spades, have been excavated in the Yayoi period. Domesticated pigs were raised, and one site even contains evidence of chickens.
Bronze technology and bronze weapons derived from those of the Korean peninsula are characteristic of the Yayoi period. Although both iron and bronze were imported, they were used as prestige goods and for dedication to the gods. Bronze swords, mirrors, and bells were developed from Korean prototypes, although models developed in the islands diverged dramatically from those of the peninsula. Large daggers and swords appear to be ceremonial, since they are too unwieldy to have been used in battle. Bellshaped objects called dotaku must have had ceremonial functions as well, as they are found in caves and other isolated places, as if they were ritual deposits (Figure 7). Mirrors were also important, both the fine-lined geometric type developed in the peninsula and Chinese-style mirrors. Sword, mirror, and curved jewel became symbols of the emperor.
The presence of megalithic burials in Japan suggests another cultural connection with Korea. Southern style dolmens (large capstones lying on the ground) are found in Kyushu, as are jar burials, sometimes under dolmens. Polished stone knives are found in such burials, as well as tubular beads with a single curved bead.
The 25 ha site of Yoshinogari on Kyushu is surrounded by a ditch, and the periphery is guarded by watchtowers standing on gigantic posts. A fortified inner area contained a burial mound in the center. A burial in two large jars joined at the mouths was furnished with tubular blue beads and a bronze sword. Han dynasty chronicles describe a queen in Kyushu named Himiko, who lived in a defended compound. The Yoshinogari site is too early to have been the domain of Himiko, but she is described as living in just such a place. However, queens ruling alone and as co-rulers were known in the subsequent Kofun period, the time of mounded tombs.
Figure 7 Dotaku - bronze bell from Yayoi period.
Figure 8 Haniwa of shaman from Kofun period.
The Kofun, or Old Tumulus period, is characterized by large and elaborate tombs. The most spectacular and largest are shaped like old-fashioned keyholes, with a high circular mound and a foursided lower platform. Often the entire construction is surrounded by a moat. The tumuli vary in size, with the largest being 486 m long. Hollow terracotta figures encircled the grave mounds on the outside. These haniwa depict warriors, shamans, farmers and other livelihoods, as well as houses, boats, horses, and even a quiver full of arrows. Some indicate tattooed faces, and many depict ear-spools and bead necklaces. The houses resemble Shinto shrines, which are rebuilt every twenty years but retain the ancient architecture (Figure 8).
Groups of kofun are found in several places, and are interpreted as rival centers of power, with evidence of highly stratified societies. They include northern Kyushu, Izumo on the southwestern coast of Honshu, Kibi in the southern part of Honshu, the main island of Japan, on the north side of the Inland Sea, and Yamato east of the Inland Sea. The very large tombs that define the Kofun period demonstrate the existence of leaders who commanded an enormous amount of labor, and documents show that a division of labor by family and village was firmly in place.
The appearance of horses, horse-trappings, and armor has led to a theory that ‘horse riders’ suddenly Appeared from ‘the continent’ to form a new warrior culture in the Late Kofun period. Horses were not native to Japan, but they are not the most significant element in the changes in the Late Kofun. However, it is clear from many lines of evidence that a close relationship existed between parts of the peninsula and the islands, and that elite as well as artisans from Korea’s Three Kingdoms were involved in the establishment of the state in Japan. Artifacts from the Kofun period are very similar to those of Korea. In the Fujinoki tomb, the use of gold is lavish. It was used for crowns, sword hilts, burial shoes, and saddlebows, in much the same style as those found in the Silla Kingdom. The tomb of Takamatsuzuka near Nara contained wall murals with women dressed like some of those in Koguryo tombs, suggesting that styles for elite women were widespread. In spite of these correspondences, the strongest impact on the Kofun period came from the Paekche kingdom.
The early Buddhist art and architecture of Nara is acknowledged to be made by artisans from Paekche. This relationship between the peninsula and the islands intensified with the introduction of Buddhism from Paekche. Koguryo in the fourth century was the first of the Korean Three Kingdoms to accept Buddhism, but it was followed within the century by Paekche. Although Paekche was destroyed in 668 by the combined forces of Silla and Tang China, much of Paekche art can still be seen in the early Buddhist sites around Nara. Capital cities were laid out in a grid pattern like that of Chang’an, the Tang capital.
The growing states of East Asia became more similar to each other as China became the model for government and culture. However, they were never identical. Each polity developed and maintained individual styles of material style and governance, while participating in trade and interaction throughout northeast Asia.
See also: Animal Domestication; Asia, East: China, Neolithic Cultures; Japanese Archipelago, Prehistoric Hunter-Fisher-Gatherers; Asia, South: Buddhist Archaeology; Plant Domestication; Political Complexity, Rise of.
World History
