Objects symbolizing the Yayoi Period include thin and practical Yayoi pottery, bronze and iron metal tools, and raised-floor storehouses. Let us examine their characteristics and significance.
Basic Knowledge
Yayoi pottery was thinner and harder than Jomon pottery and was practical pottery with a bright reddish-brown color. It was fired at high temperatures (900℃ or higher), and its forms developed according to use, including jars, cooking pots, tall stemmed dishes, and bowls. It was used to store and cook rice and to serve food, and its decoration was restrained.
Metal tools were introduced from the continent along with rice cultivation, and bronze and iron were used together.
・Bronze tools: bronze bells, bronze swords, bronze spearheads, and bronze halberds. They were used for rituals
・Iron tools: farming tools (blades of spades, hoes, and sickles), weapons, and practical implements
In other words, bronze was used for “rituals” and iron for “practical purposes,” which was a characteristic division of roles in Japan.
Raised-floor storehouses were buildings equipped with rat guards for storing harvested rice. They were designed to protect rice from moisture and pests.
Bronze bells Bell-shaped bronze objects, used for rituals, centered in the Kinki region
Bronze swords, spearheads, and halberds Bronze weapons for rituals, centered in northern Kyushu
Kojindani Site (Shimane) Large-scale discovery of 358 bronze swords and bronze bells
Kamo Iwakura Site (Shimane) 39 bronze bells discovered together
Iron tools Used for farming tools (spade and hoe blades), weapons, and tools
Raised-floor storehouses Equipped with rat guards, used to store rice, reconstructed at the Toro Site
Further Study (Background and Impact)
The introduction of metal tools greatly increased agricultural productivity and military power. Iron spades and hoes could cultivate soil deeply, increasing rice yields. Iron sickles could harvest rice more efficiently than stone knives.
Bronze tools, however, were not used much as practical implements because bronze is soft and unsuitable for blades. Instead, bronze objects were used as ritual treasures and as symbols of communities and authority.
Bronze bells were initially musical instruments that were rung to make sounds, but they gradually grew larger and changed into ritual objects intended to be displayed. At the Kojindani Site in Shimane Prefecture, as many as 358 bronze swords were discovered neatly buried. Why so many valuable bronze objects were buried remains an unsolved mystery.
Raised-floor storehouses developed in response to the new need to store rice and have been reconstructed at the Toro and Yoshinogari Sites. They enabled communities to manage food supplies systematically.
- Yayoi pottery: thin, reddish-brown, high-temperature fired, divided by use
- Bronze tools = for rituals (bronze bells, swords, and spearheads)
- Iron tools = practical implements (farming tools, weapons, and tools)
- Bronze bells = centered in the Kinki region; bronze swords and spearheads = centered in northern Kyushu
- Kojindani and Kamo Iwakura Sites (Shimane) = large quantities of bronze objects discovered
- Raised-floor storehouses = equipped with rat guards, used to store rice
- Introduction of metal tools → increased agricultural productivity and developed weapons
Points to Note (Easily Confused)
① Always remember the division of roles: “bronze = rituals, iron = practical use.” This was a distinctive Japanese usage. ② Bronze bells were centered in the Kinki region, while bronze swords and spearheads were centered in northern Kyushu. There were regional differences. ③ Bronze bells were bell-shaped, ranging from small ones like bells to large ones over 1 m. ④ Raised-floor storehouses and pit dwellings were different. Storehouses had raised floors, while dwellings had floors lower than the ground. ⑤ Rat guards were round boards attached to posts to keep out rats.
Practice
- Explain the difference between the uses of bronze and iron tools during the Yayoi Period.
- Name the site in Shimane Prefecture where 358 bronze swords were discovered in large quantities.
- Explain the characteristics and purpose of raised-floor storehouses.