They trudged over to some of the 4,000 islands across Asian land bridges that floated on the seas toward the end of the glacial age. The archipelago that is Japan has only four sizable islands—Hokkaido in the north, Honshu (formerly called “Yamato”) in the central region, and to the south, Shikoku and Kyushu. The northern wind is cold and dry, originating from the Asian mainland. Artifacts from the Paleolithic era some 20,000 years ago are similar to those found in Manchuria and Mongolia. The southern wind brings the typhoons, as they are conditioned by the Japan Current, or the Kuroshio, that comes from the tropics and the Oyashio Current, which is a cold current from Siberia that sweeps southward. Those that came to Japan found a hilly, mountainous country with five hundred volcanoes, though only about one hundred are currently active, the most famous of which is Mount Fuji, which dominates many Japanese paintings.

The Ainu people of Japan mostly settled in Hokkaido, as the rest of the archipelago was underwater during the glacial melting. Their appearance was proto-Caucasian or Mongoloid, and the males had full beards. Some of the Ainu people even had blue eyes. According to Japanese legend, “They lived in this place a hundred thousand years before the Children of the Sun came.” The term “children of the sun” refers to the people of the Yayoi period in the third century BCE. That corresponds with the Chinese dynastic chronicle, theHistory of the Wei Kingdom, compiled in the year 300 CE. When Japan became more populous, the Ainu were discriminated against, as they were very different in their appearance and cultural practices. Today, there are about 25,000 of them left, but most are of mixed race due to intermarriages over the years.

The Jomon period spanned from around 14,000 to 1000 BCE. Some archeologists indicate that the Ainu people were the remnants of the Jomon civilization, though others indicate they preceded the Jomon period. It is possible that the Ainu originated from the northern steppes, while the Jomon came in from the South Pacific. The Jomon people were animists who worshiped nature, not out of fear but out of respect. That was because their survival depended upon the earth. They were shorter in stature and darker than the Ainu up north. The Jomon gathered nuts and roots, and they hunted and consumed shellfish. They lived in small settlements of round thatched homes sunken two feet into the ground. A fire crackled in the middle of their dwellings, and smoke billowed out a circular opening in the roofs. These people are known for “cord pottery,” which was bulbous in form and impressed with cords that formed designs. Some clay pots were half-buried and were used for storage or cooking, while others used them for religious purposes.

The Yayoi period came next and is said to date from 1000 BCE to 300 CE. The people who came during that time most likely immigrated from China. They brought with them the knowledge of the irrigated rice paddy and lived in tight-knit units with distinctive leaders. While some homes were at ground level, most were elevated above the wet fields. They used bronze decorations and weapons, including spears, swords, mirrors, and bells. In central Honshu, huge bells were found, but they were without clappers, so they were most likely hit from the outside as part of a ceremony. Such bells weren’t found south of there.

The Kofun period lasted from about 300 to 538 CE. These people were more aristocratic and more militant in nature. They had swords, helmets, and shields, as well as armor and horses. Some archeologists speculate that this wave of immigration came from Korea. The dead were treated with more sophistication than in earlier periods, where bodies were buried without coffins in the fetal position. The Kofun people interred their dead in huge earthenware jars and placed mounds above the graves. Later on, they dug stone tombs. Their leaders were called emperors, a term that was taken from China once they became acquainted with each other, which was retroactively applied to previous rulers. This position was hereditary, and the emperor was considered to be of divine origins. They used their powers of persuasion to unite the many clans under their purvey, and they also used their military might.

Society during this time was divided into hereditary clans or family groupings calleduji. Theuji of the more powerful clans were known asomi to distinguish themselves from the aristocrats who were more distantly related to royalty. Certain clans held a great deal of power in Japan, and it would be similar to the aristocratic families in Western cultures, who may not have been royalty but still wielded a lot of influence over the court and its decisions. In the future, the clans in Japan would have more power than even the emperor himself.

Asuka Japan