Archaeological culture · c. 14,000–300 BCE

Jōmon culture

The Jōmon were hunter-gatherers of the Japanese archipelago who made some of the world's earliest pottery, decorated by pressing cords into the clay ('jōmon' means 'cord-marked'). Over thousands of years many lived in settled villages such as Sannai-Maruyama, made lacquerware, clay figurines and stone circles, and managed plants.

From about 900 BCE rice farmers of the Yayoi culture spread from Kyushu, and the Jōmon way of life gave way, lasting longest in the north.

See Jōmon culture on the map in 14,000 BCE →

On the map

14,000–300 BCE