Yayoi culture as a fake (preliminary notes)

23 CAES Vol. 3, № 2 (June 2017) Yayoi culture as a fake (preliminary notes) Tresi Nonno independent scholar; Chiba, Japan; e-mail: [email protected] Abstract Among historians are spread the following stereotypes: roots of Japanese culture were formed in the period of Yayoi, and Jōmon culture didn’t influence on forming Japanese culture. However, Yayoi pottery and architecture are just continuations of Late Jōmon pottery and architecture. Perception of continental issues (for instance: dōtaku) in the period of Yayoi was very irregular, and introduced items became object of cargo cults. In the period of Kofun on the contrary we can see regular spreading of ‘Korean’ techniques. Regular spreading of certain techniques should necessarily correlate with regular presence of corresponding ethnic group. Thus, it is possible to say that there was no serious presence of ‘Korean’ ethnic element upon Japanese archipelago until the beginning of Kofun period. Yayoi period actually should not be considered as a separated culture, but just as a continuation of Late Jōmon. Keywords: Yayoi; Late Jōmon; Japanese history; interpretation of archaeological data 1. Problem introduction It is generally thought that main roots of Japanese culture were formed in the period of Yayoi (300 BC – 300 AD) and that Jōmon culture (13000 BC – about 500/300 BC) didn’t influence seriously on forming Japanese culture. It is supposed that in the period of Yayoi people of Jōmon culture disappeared and a completely new ethnic group came instead of Jōmon people. However, if we take an impartial look at the technologies of Yayoi period we can see that they are mostly just continuation of technologies of Late Jōmon and that in the period of Yayoi there was no serious continental influence yet. 2. Pottery Yayoi pottery (pic. 2) is a nothing else, but just a continuation of Late Jōmon pottery (pic. 1) with probably just slight continental influences. Pic. 1 Late Jōmon pot (source: Artifacts: Jomon-Yayoi) 24 CAES Vol. 3, № 2 (June 2017) Pic. 2 Early Yayoi pots (source: Artifacts: Jomon-Yayoi) 3. Architecture If we take a look at the architecture of Yoshinogari site (pic. 3) that was a settlement of Yayoi period and at the architecture of Sannai-Maruyma settlement (pic. 4) of Late Jōmon we can see that architecture of Yoshinogari is just development of architecture of Sannai-Maruyama. Pic. 3 Reconstructed architecture of Yayoi period in Yoshinogari site (source: World travel, Asia, East Asia, Japan) 25 CAES Vol. 3, № 2 (June 2017) Pic. 4 Reconstructed architecture of Late Jōmon in Sannai-Maruayama site (source: World travel, Asia, East Asia, Japan) Pic. 5. Map representing location of Sannai-Maruyama and Yoshinogari sites (after Google map screenshot) 26 CAES Vol. 3, № 2 (June 2017) 4. Continental influence in the epoch of Yayoi In the period of Kofun (about 250 – 538) we can see regular and wide spread of ‘Korean’ technologies in Japanese archipelago, but we don’t see it in the period of Yayoi yet. In this text ‘Korean’ is just a compact term to designate groups of Mongoloid race speaking a language of Buyeo group1. All items of ‘Korean’ origin that can be seen in the period of Yayoi are mostly elements of cargo cult, i.e.: copying of some items without due understanding of their true meaning. For instance, famous dōtaku 銅鐸 bell-shaped bronze vessel of Yayoi period (pic. 6) evidently had no practical usage, but were used just as ritual objects; while their prefigurations evidently had practical usage (pic. 7). The fact that dōtaku weren’t utilitarian items can be clearly seen from their sizes and sizes of their continental prefigurations. Pic. 6. Dōtaku; height of the left is 52.8 cm; height of the right is 45 cm (source: Harunari) Pic. 7. Dōtaku prefigurations; from the left: 2,400 years old, site of excavation unknown, height: 22.3 cm; 2,400 years old, Korea, height: 15.9 cm; 3,500 years old China, height: 9.1 cm; 3,700 years old China, height: 8.4 cm; 3,900 years old, China, height: 2.6 cm (source: Harunari) 1 Buyeo group is a conventional name of the group that includes Japanese and Korean languages; degree of relatedness of Japanese and Korean is same as that of English and Afrikaans (Akulov 2016) 27 CAES Vol. 3, № 2 (June 2017) Metal items and metal industry were exotic issues in the period of Yayoi and became accustomed issues in the period of Kofun only, when we can see regular spreading of ‘Korean’ metal industry (pic.: 8 – 11). Pic. 8 ‘Korean’ swords with ring pommels; 5th – 6th century (source: Sword forum. Korean sword links) Pic. 9 Kofun swords (source: Kofun warrior) 28 CAES Vol. 3, № 2 (June 2017) Pic. 10. ‘Korean’ 5th century AD personal armor (source: Korean armour) Pic. 11. Kofun personal armor (source: Kofun warrior) Also in the period of Kofun can be seen regular and serious spreading of other ‘Korean’ art (pic 12, 13). 29 CAES Vol. 3, № 2 (June 2017) Pic. 12. ‘Korean’ tomb painting 4th century AD (source: Korean Art History Resources: Three Kingdoms and Earlier) Pic. 13. Kofun tomb painting (source: Takamazuka kofun) 30 CAES Vol. 3, № 2 (June 2017) 5. Conclusion Japanese historical mythology tries to state that there is no connection between Yayoi and Jōmon, i.e.: when Jōmon ended Jōmon people disappeared and completely new Yayoi people came instead of Jōmon. And there is a very strong stereotype supported by academic history that all items of Japanese culture have their roots in rice culture of Yayoi, but not in Jōmon culture of hunters and gatherers. (As I can see such ideas are politically determined, their main aim is ‘to prove’ that Jōmon/Ainu didn’t participate anyhow in the formation of Japanese culture. And the most pitiful issue is the fact that such Japanese historical mythology step by step spreads itself worldwide since people outside Japan also accept Japanese attitude toward Japanese history in order to not to offend the Japanese.) It should be noted that rice cultivating was practicing in Late Jōmon yet (Imamura 1996), so it is incorrect to state that rice cultivating was invented only in Yayoi. Also, as it has been shown above, there is actually no border between late Jōmon and Yayoi: pottery of Yayoi is just a continuation of Late Jōmon pottery; architecture forms of Yayoi are just continuation of architecture forms of Late Jōmon. And from the other hand reception of continental techniques was very fragmentary and irregular: introduced items became object of cargo cults (dōtaku); all irregular borrowings usually lead to cargo cults. In the period of Kofun on the contrary we can see wide and regular perception of ‘Korean’ techniques and arts. Any wide and regular spreading of certain techniques should necessarily correlate with wide and regular presence of corresponding ethnic group. It is true for contemporary world, and it is especially true for ancient world where fewer technologies were borrowed indirectly. Thus, it is possible to say the following: there was no serious presence of ‘Korean’ ethnic element upon Japanese archipelago until the beginning of Kofun period. Yayoi culture actually is nothing else, but artificially created concept that is used as separator of Jōmon/Ainu and Japanese culture. Yayoi period should not be considered as a separated culture, but just as a continuation of Late Jōmon. And thus there is actually no strict border between culture that is known as Japanese and culture that is known as Jōmon. References Akulov A. 2016. Prefixation Ability Index and Verbal Grammar Correlation Index prove the reality of Buyeo group. Acta Linguistica Asiatica, Vol 6, No 1, pp.: 81 – 97 Artifacts: Jomon-Yayoi http://www.kyoto-u.ac.jp/maibun/english/artifact-en1.html – accessed June 2017 Harunari H. 2003. The World of Dotaku (Ceremonial Bronze Bells) REKIHAKU No.121 http://www.rekihaku.ac.jp/english/outline/publication/rekihaku/121/witness.html – accessed June 2017 Imamura, K. (1996) Prehistoric Japan: New Perspectives on Insular East Asia Honolulu: University of Hawai`i Press Kofun warrior http://www.forensicfashion.com/500KofunWarrior.html – accessed June 2017 Korean armour http://military.wikia.com/wiki/Korean_armour – accessed June 2017 31 CAES Vol. 3, № 2 (June 2017) Korean Art History Resources: Three Kingdoms and Earlier http://www.art-andarchaeology.com/timelines/korea/early.html – accessed June 2017 Sword forum, Korean sword links http://www.swordforum.com/forums/showthread.php?25477Korean-Sword-links – accessed June 2017 Takamazuka kofun http://www.asukanet.gr.jp/asukahome/ASUKA2/TAKAMATUTUKA/takamatutuka.html – accessed June 2017 World travel, Asia, East Asia, Japan http://tabisite.com/gallery_as/japan/japanen.shtml – accessed June 2017