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Guide To Japanese Historical Periods


Jomon Period

Japan Time Line Edo Period Momoyama Period Muromachi Period Kamakura Period Heian Period Nara Period Asuka Period Kofun Period Jomon Period

Yayoi Period

ca. 300 B.C. - 300 A.D.

Powerful chieftains ruled over an increasingly stratified society. Wet-rice cultivation, introduced by immigrants from the continent, encouraged the establishment of permanent villages. Potters produced elegant, wheel-turned pottery with smooth, painted or burnished surfaces. Bronze technology from Korea led to the production of swords, spearheads, and dotaku bells, which were prized as symbols of prestige, rather than musical instruments.