CW: This episode features discussions of slavery in a Japanese context. There is also some language that sensitive listeners may find objectionable.

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We made it to the land of Yamato, the country of the Queen of Wa! We also talked a little bit about what life was like,and now we’ll get into a little more of what Society was like overall. There are, after all, some striking similarities to today, and also some clear differences. Yet every clue helps us to better understand the people of this time.

We’ll talk about the apparent gender equality—at least among the elite—where everyone had a voice. We’ll talk about some of the early customs, such as how peasants were supposed to get off the path of their superiors, as well as some customs for greeting and showing respect.

Perhaps one of the strangest customs we’ll talk about is the custom of the jisai, or abstainer. In a society where we usually think of purity as a high virtue, who would think you could be rich and successful by not bathing? But there you have it.

Finally, we’ll talk about the rituals that went with the inevitable in any society: Death. This is the transition point from the Yayoi period to what we know as the Kofun, or Ancient Tomb, period. These mounded tombs had their start in the Yayoi period, but really took off around the 3rd century and beyond.

"Torii" reconstruction

It is thought that wooden birds, found in the excavations, may have “sat” upon the gates of Yayoi settlements, like here at the reconstructed Yoshinogari. This may have eventually become the reason we call the gates to shrines and other such sacred sites “Torii”.

Shinto priests bowing

Here we see a priest at the Ise lower shrine bowing deeply as a sign of respect while making offerings to the kami. This bow may be similar to what the people were doing back in the Yayoi period.

Ise Shrine Roof

It is thought that some of the shrine roof architecture, such as we see here at Ise Shrine, may actually be a remnant from this early time, with shrines being effectively homes or “palaces” for kami not dissimilar to the ones people built for themselves. Regardless they demonstrate what appears to be an indigenous tradition prior to the later Chinese influence.

Yayoi palace

A reconstruction of a building thought to be the palace, or at least the chiefly hall, at the reconstructed Yoshinogari site. The size and height is estimated based on the pillar bases, and as you can see it appears as though it may have been a considerable height off the ground, likely equating nearness to the heavens with status.

Magatama necklace

Necklace with a magatama, or “comma-shaped-jewel”, which was common in Japan and in the Korean peninsula in the first millennium. This example is from the museum at Tamatsukuri shrine, and comes from the Kofun period.

Pot burial example

An example of a Yayoi burial using clay pots. From Yoshinogari, where many such burials have been uncovered. Most of them were simply in the cemetery, but others were in a mounded structure, likely indicating a more elite burial.

Funkyubo

This is an excavated funkyubo, or early tomb mound, from Yoshinogari. You can see how various burials were all grouped together in the one mound..

Amagatsuji kofun

In contrast with the funkyubo, the later kofun are much more monumental in size and scope. Furthermore, they are built for a single individual. Simply the labor required to memorialize a single individual indicates that the uppermost elites—the sovereigns—had the power to mobilize tremendous labor. These are small hills, often surrounded by impressive moats, still visible today. Amagatsuji is in Nara, and tradition states it is the resting place of Emperor Suinin. It appears to have been built in the latter part of the 4th century.

Hashihaka Kofun

A third century kofun that some believe may have belonged to Himiko. Traditionally it is said to have belonged to the aunt of Emperor Suinin, Yamato Totohi Momoso Hime. Could she and Himiko be one and the same? From this aerial photo you can see the “keyhole” shape—a circle connected to a trapezoid. You can also see the scale next to the houses. This photo courtesy of the National Land Image Information (Color Aerial Photographs), Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

References

Barnes, Gina L. (2015), Achaeology of East Asia: The Rise of Civilization in China, Korea and Japan
Soumaré, Massimo (2007), Japan in Five Ancient Chinese Chronicles: Wo, the Land of Yamatai, and Queen Himiko. ISBN: 978-4-902075-22-9
Kidder, J. Edward (2007), Himiko and Japan's Elusive Chiefdom of Yamatai: Archaeology, History, and Mythology. ISBN: 978-0824830359
Nelson, Thomas. (2004), Slavery in Medieval Japan. Monumenta Nipponica, 59(4), 463-492. Retrieved from www.jstor.org/stable/25066328
Kyodo. (2000, Nov 04) “Archaeologists unearth settlement mentioned in Wei Chronicle”; https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2000/11/04/national/archaeologists-unearth-settlement-mentioned-in-wei-chronicle/#.XiI9r2hKiUk
Barnes, Gina L. (1988); Protohistoric Yamato: Archaeology of the First Japanese State;
Han, Kangxin and Nakahashi, Takahiro. (1995, May 12), “A Comparative Study of Ritual Tooth Ablation in Ancient China and Japan”; Anthropological Science, Volume 104 (1996) Issue 1; https://jstage.jst.go.jp/article/ase1993/104/1/104_1_43/_pdf/-char/en
Hudson, M., & Barnes, G. (1991). Yoshinogari. A Yayoi Settlement in Northern Kyushu. Monumenta Nipponica, 46(2), 211-235. doi:10.2307/2385402