History of Japan

ancient history · asia · civilization · archaeology

First people arrived. The earliest humans reached the Japanese islands around 38,000 to 39,000 years ago during the Paleolithic period, when they were hunter-gatherers exploring this isolated archipelago.

Jōmon's cord pottery. The Jōmon period is named after its distinctive cord-marked pottery, which shows these ancient people were skilled craftspeople who decorated their clay vessels with beautiful patterns.

Yayoi brought changes. Around the first millennium BC, the Yayoi period introduced exciting new inventions from mainland Asia, including new farming methods and technologies that transformed how people lived.

First written mention. Japan's first appearance in written history happened in the first century AD when Chinese writers recorded a reference to Japan in a book called the Book of Han.