Podcast Summary: The Ancients – "Prehistoric Japan"

Host: Tristan Hughes
Guest: Dr. Simon Kaner, University of East Anglia
Release Date: November 3, 2024

Introduction

In the episode titled "Prehistoric Japan," hosted by Tristan Hughes on The Ancients podcast by History Hit, listeners are taken on an extensive journey through Japan's prehistoric past. Dr. Simon Kaner, an expert in prehistoric Japan with a specialization in the Jomon culture, joins Tristan to explore tens of thousands of years of Japan’s prehistory, from the earliest human settlements around 50,000 years ago to the intricate and enduring Jomon culture that thrived for over 10,000 years.

Early Archaeology in Japan

[03:05] Dr. Simon Kaner:
"There's a huge amount archaeology in Japan really kicked off. It's getting on for 150 years ago now."

The conversation begins with Dr. Kaner outlining the foundational archaeological efforts in Japan, initiated over 150 years ago during the Meiji era. An American zoologist, inspired by Darwinian evolutionary theories, conducted the first Western-style scientific excavations in Japan by discovering shell middens near what is now Shimbashi Station in Tokyo. These early excavations laid the groundwork for Japan’s rich archaeological landscape, revealing pottery, stone tools, and other artifacts initially misclassified under mythical timelines before receiving scientific dating.

The Jomon Period

Definition and Duration

[23:17] Dr. Simon Kaner:
"Jomon is a translation of rope pattern, which is the term that was coined by Edward Sylvester Morse back in the late 1870s to describe the type of pottery that he had excavated from the or Morishelmidden."

The Jomon period, spanning approximately 14,000 to 1,000 BCE, is characterized by its distinctive cord-marked pottery, a trait lasting over 15,000 years. Japanese archaeologists further divide this period into six sub-periods—incipient, initial, early, middle, late, and final Jomon—helping to manage the extensive temporal and cultural diversity within the era.

Lifestyle and Culture

Master Foragers and Broad Spectrum Diet

[30:02] Dr. Simon Kaner:
"They are broad spectrum foragers if you like. They're exploited. They seem to be exploiting the vast majority of wild resources that are available to them."

Jomon people were adept hunter-gatherers who engaged in a diverse foraging lifestyle. Unlike their European contemporaries, they did not cultivate crops but rather intensively exploited wild resources, including nuts like chestnuts and acorns, and possibly engaged in early forms of plant cultivation or encouragement. Their expertise extended to the use of natural resources, exemplified by the production of some of the world's earliest lacquer from the lacquer tree, enhancing the durability and aesthetic of their possessions.

Domestication of Animals

[34:00] Dr. Simon Kaner:
"We've got some of the earliest evidence for domesticated dog anywhere from about 11,000 years ago. There are dogs buried in graves at places like Kamikuriwa in little island of Shikoku."

Jomon society exhibited unique relationships with animals; evidence suggests the early domestication of dogs, as seen in burial sites where dogs are interred alongside humans. Additionally, wild boars were possibly domesticated or at least regularly transported and managed, indicating sophisticated animal husbandry practices uncommon among hunter-gatherer societies.

Settlements and Architecture

Diverse and Organized Settlements

[39:08] Dr. Simon Kaner:
"We've got areas where you've got clusters of, of buildings that look like family residences. You've got some very large buildings which they describe as long houses."

Jomon settlements varied considerably, from small clusters of pit houses to large, planned communities like Sannai-Maruyama in Aomori Prefecture, housing around a thousand buildings over nearly two millennia. These settlements featured sophisticated organization, including residential zones, storage facilities, and middens, which served not only as refuse dumps but also as repositories for cultural artifacts and pottery evolution.

Monumental Architecture

[43:52] Dr. Simon Kaner:
"Many of the Jomon stone circles are actually funerary monuments as well."

Jomon architecture included monumental stone circles known as kanjo reseki or stone sakuru. While smaller in scale compared to European counterparts like Stonehenge, these stone circles held significant cultural and funerary importance. They often incorporated stones from specific local sources, indicating deliberate selection and placement, and some were aligned with astronomical events or geographical landmarks.

Ceramics and Dogu Figurines

Innovative Pottery

[49:24] Dr. Simon Kaner:
"Some of the ceramics are used as burial urns. Some of them are incredibly highly decorated, mainly abstract decorations, but on occasion you get some representational decorations as well."

Jomon pottery is renowned for its versatility and artistry, serving various functions such as cooking, serving, storage, and burial. Over the Jomon period, approximately 70 major pottery styles emerged, each named after its type site, showcasing an impressive range of forms and decorations, from abstract patterns to anthropomorphic designs.

Dogu Figurines

[51:05] Dr. Simon Kaner:
"They're based on the human form, but they don't look like real people... they probably were considered to have very considerable powers that would have impacted on the lives of the people that were making and using them."

Dogu are enigmatic ceramic figurines that reflect the spiritual and cultural complexities of the Jomon people. With over 20,000 examples discovered, dogu vary in form and detail, often featuring elaborate hairstyles, possible indications of tattoos, and representations of clothing. Debates continue regarding their purpose—ranging from mother goddesses to protective talismans—and recent cultural practices, such as Japan’s Girls Day dolls (hina matsuri), suggest these figurines had significant spiritual importance.

Archaeological Discoveries and Challenges

Preservation Issues

[10:59] Dr. Simon Kaner:
"Unfortunately, one of the issues that we have is with all those volcanoes, the soils of Japan are very acidic, and human bone doesn't survive very well in various acidic environments."

Japan’s volcanic activity presents both opportunities and challenges for archaeology. Volcanic ash layers enable precise dating of sites but also contribute to the rapid deterioration of organic materials. Exceptional preservation occurs in specific contexts like shell middens and waterlogged cave sites, which offer rare insights into human burial practices and daily life.

Scientific Fraud Impact

[10:00] Dr. Simon Kaner:
"A volunteer... had been making his own stone tools and then planting them on these sites... This unfortunately blew the reputation of Paleolithic archaeology."

The field has faced setbacks due to scientific misconduct, notably the fabrication of stone tools by a volunteer, undermining the credibility of early Paleolithic findings in northeastern Japan. This incident has slowed the search for genuinely ancient sites, although recent discoveries continue to rejuvenate interest and research efforts.

Domestication and the End of the Jomon

Transition to Rice Farming

[53:35] Dr. Simon Kaner:
"Rice farming arrives from the East Asian continent, from Korea, from southern China... we’re looking at questions of resistance to rice farming being introduced as well."

The Jomon period transitioned into a new era with the introduction of wet rice farming from the Asian mainland during the first millennium BCE. This shift represents a significant cultural transformation, raising questions about whether Jomon people adopted agriculture voluntarily or resisted the imposition of new farming practices. The arrival of rice farming marks the decline of the Jomon lifestyle, overlaying it with metallurgical advancements and changing social structures.

Cultural Continuity and Legacy

[53:35] Dr. Simon Kaner:
"There’s been a lot of discussion around exactly what that means. Should we be regarding the Jomon as the people that have died out... or are there continuing traits from Jomon culture which have informed what happens in later Japanese culture?"

Despite the decline of the Jomon way of life, elements of their culture, particularly in ceramics and possibly social organization, have permeated subsequent Japanese societies. Contemporary Japanese appreciation for nature-centric living and intricate craftsmanship may trace roots back to Jomon traditions, illustrating the enduring legacy of this prehistoric culture.

Conclusions and Future Directions

[57:35] Tristan Hughes:
"There is still so much about prehistoric Japan that we can cover in future episodes."

The episode concludes with an acknowledgment of the vastness and complexity of prehistoric Japan, emphasizing that the Jomon period is just one facet of a rich archaeological narrative. Future episodes may delve deeper into topics like maritime connections, the origins of rice cultivation, and the broader East Asian prehistoric context.

Dr. Kaner expresses optimism about ongoing and future research, highlighting initiatives such as the EU-funded project by Enrico Kramer’s team at Cambridge, which seeks to unravel the intricate history of rice farming adoption and its socio-cultural implications.

Notable Quotes

• Dr. Simon Kaner on Early Archaeology:

  "When Morse's work really laid the foundations for, yeah, 150 years of phenomenal archaeological investigation across the archipelago."
  [05:28]

• Dr. Simon Kaner on Stone Circles:

  "Some people think it's a sort of a series of upstanding posts which may have been aligned on a sort of a view line across to some of the local mountains, which in turn may have been aligned on midwinter, mid summer ideas."
  [43:52]

• Dr. Simon Kaner on Dogu Figurines:

  "They were probably considered to have very considerable powers that would have impacted on the lives of the people that were making and using them."
  [51:05]

• Dr. Simon Kaner on the Transition to Agriculture:

  "There's a big discussion about who brought the rice. Was it incomers, was it migrants, or is it local Jomon people adopting rice farming?"
  [54:47]

Final Remarks

Tristan Hughes and Dr. Simon Kaner provide listeners with a comprehensive overview of prehistoric Japan, emphasizing the sophistication and resilience of the Jomon culture. The episode not only highlights Japan's unique archaeological contributions but also invites further exploration into the enigmatic and influential practices of its ancient peoples.

For more insights into Japan's prehistory and other fascinating ancient civilizations, stay tuned to The Ancients on History Hit.