I think everyone has their own views on the modern or modern history of Japan. But what about the history of ancient Japan, or even the history of prehistory? Many friends are about to frown. Interested in this history? Let's take a look at the porcelain.
First, the unique charm of Japanese civilization
When it comes to Japan, people always have different images in their minds. "Whether it's Mt. Fuji or ukiyo-e. It's an enviable Japanese geisha or an anime look. "These can be used as representatives of Japanese culture. It is these unique cultural symbols that interpret the unique style of Japanese civilization.
Scenic Mount Fuji in Japan
While being fully interested in Japanese culture, we must learn about Japanese history. However, Porcelain believes that you all have a certain understanding of Japanese history. But when we think of Japan, the first thing we think of must be the continuous artillery fire of the War of Resistance Against Japan, or the broad and grandeur of Tang Fengdong.
In fact, Japan has been inhabited by humans for a long time. The lifestyle of the ancient Japanese was similar to that of the ancient Chinese, they also experienced the Stone Age and had their own splendid culture.
Jian Zhen Dongdu map
Archaeological evidence of the Jomon era
The era of civilization that the Japanese first entered is known as the Jomon Period, sometimes referred to as the Jomon Period. This era probably contains periods from the late Paleolithic period in Japan until the Neolithic age. Converted to the Common Era, it is about 14,000 years ago, to about 300 or 400 BC.
Why do historians name this period the Jomon Period? You must have guessed it, because most of the artifacts unearthed in Japan during this period have rope-like patterns on the surface of the body, which is quite common.
Portrait of american scientist Edward Moss
In the Paleolithic age of primitive society, human beings gradually found in the process of collecting food that in addition to collecting and fishing natural fruits and vegetables in nature and the small swimming fish and shellfish in the ocean, human beings have other forces to do other things. For example, use free time to grind stone tools and make pottery.
When people started to live together, culture was born. In ancient times, the Japanese divided into several families and reunited, and because there were often food debris piled up around the stronghold, they formed a shell mound. The people of this era had not yet formed a ruling class and a sacrificial class, so the size of the shell mound and the size of the stronghold were generally not very different.
Tokyo, Japan: Omori Shell Tomb Ruins
Third, the architectural style of the Jomon era
In the Jomon period, pit dwelling was often commonplace. In this era, the Japanese mainland was also covered with dense hills and dense coniferous forests. Because of the large undulating terrain in Japan, there are quite a lot of hilly terraces. Therefore, the people of the Jomon period mainly gathered on the edges of the hills and the flattening of the terraces.
Caves that are easily accessible are relatively absent in japan, and the naturally dry, infested plains are almost inaccessible. According to archaeological excavations, the original Japanese of the Jomon period mostly used the method of "vertical pit dwelling" to survive.
Evolutionary diagram of cave dwellings
The so-called vertical hole is to dig a hole in the ground that is concave on the surface, and flatten the surrounding pit soil to make a vertical soil wall and a flat ground. The original vertical cavity has only a simple window cover, and the material is mostly lined with natural wood and leaves. In the middle and late Jomon culture, many of the houses were erected above the vertical caves, and the size and shape of the houses varied from place to place.
Fourth, the gathering and hunting method of the Jomon era
The people of the Jomon period were also accustomed to gathering and hunting. In the remains of Mount Sanuchi in Aomori City, Aomori Prefecture, Japan, archaeologists have found a large number of bow and arrow remains used by people in the Jomon period, and a large number of pottery and figurines have been unearthed. This proves that in the middle and late period of the Jomon culture, humans at that time had begun to independently make bows and arrows and various hunting tools, and they successfully entered the Neolithic Age on their own strength.
Jomon people often carry clusters of arrows and carry bows and arrows, setting traps while attracting prey. Wild boars and bears are more abundant in the wild beasts that grow in japan. Jomons have many ways of hunting, and they are good at hunting large beasts by weaving nets and laying traps.
Neolithic stone-shaped arrow cluster
According to sources, they also appear to have learned from the Ainu in the north how to hunt with poisoned arrows. (The latter still hunts in the same way) Due to the repeated appearance of canine bones in excavated archaeological data, we speculate that at this time the Jomon people were able to train dogs independently, and the hounds may have been used to watch over the homes of the Jomons or assist them in hunting.
Fish are also a food resource that Jomon people must rely on. Under the conditions at that time, the Jomon people mostly ate river fish and shallow sea creatures, and did not have the ability to fish in the deep sea for the time being. Fishing tackle for jomon people has also been unearthed, mostly hooks, hooks, harpoons and so on. In addition to stabbing and hook fishing, it is likely that the Jomons also used casting nets to catch fish.
Group photo of the ainu people of modern Japan
Of course, the Jomon people who entered the hunting era also relied on the collection of fruits and vegetables to maintain their lives. Judging from archaeological excavations, the plants that can be confirmed are walnuts, chestnuts, grapes, etc., most of which are tree fruits. Jomon people often use stone axes to cut down trees, causing them to shake the fruit and fall, a method they have tried and tried.
5. Pottery vessels of the Jomon period
The Jomon period continued for thousands of years, until the beginning of the Yayoi period. Archaeologists divide Jomon period pottery into four categories: "front, middle, back, and late".
From the perspective of the shape of the vessel, the pottery of the early Jomon era is mostly pointed bottom, and the use of fire when firing is not particularly skilled, and the pottery is prone to gaps due to uneven high and low temperatures; after the middle period, the shape of the vessel is mostly flat bottomed, and the bowl body becomes wider and larger. Pottery during this period improved, and jomon ornamentation began to be carved in advance rather than rubbed with clay strips.
Clay pots from the Jomon period
Later and late Jomon vessels mostly show the color of "a hundred flowers blooming and ingenious craftsmanship". During this period, a variety of vessel types appeared, and pottery was not limited to water use but became more diversified. There are more kitchen utensils such as earthen vases, earthen bowls and even earthen urns, and the color of the pottery has become more exquisite.
It is worth noting that black pottery also appeared in the northeast at this time. The Japanese black pottery of this era is similar to the black pottery of the Longshan culture period in China. These pottery tires are thin and light, and the surface is ground to produce a black color, and the shape is beautiful and beautiful. At this time, these jomon pottery and black pottery were also used as funerary items in addition to eating utensils and food storage utensils.
Wen Shijun said:
This is the first sequence of archaeological understanding of Japan's ancient history. Archaeology is translated into antiquities in Japan, and in its literal sense, it can be seen that Japanese scholars attach great importance to original materials. After the Meiji Restoration, the Japanese finally used modern technology to trace their long-awaited ancestors. The Japanese can finally proudly stand up and say that their civilization is also self-contained and proud! The Jomon period was the beginning of Japanese civilization, and in this short period of time, most people in the world lived in a similar way, only human "hand crops" had certain differences. In the next lecture, Porcelain will take a look at how the Japanese lived in the "Yayoi Period". Stay tuned!
bibliography:
S． N． Eisenstadt: Japanese Civilization, The Commercial Press, May 2008
Yuan Jing, "The Relationship between Jomon Man and the Environment from the Shell Hill Site", Archaeology, No. 8, 1995
(Author: Haoran Wenshi Porcelain Country Garbage Dump)
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