Some Japanese and Korean history from 1000-500BC

Dogu figurine from Final Jomon Period

This is a post about Japanese and Korean history from 1000-500BC. I am not an expert on this time period at all and there is much that is still unknown and being discovered by archaeologists but the broad outlines of what I will describe here should be mostly correct. This is a time before writing in this part of the world so the main sources will be entirely archaeological, but I may make some references to later myths and legends.

In Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands, to the north of Japan, there is evidence of hunter-gatherers at this time as well. It is presumed that they were related to the Jomon peoples of Japan but the harsher climates faced by these more northerly peoples limited their numbers. To the south, in the Ryukyu Islands, similar conditions prevailed, with the islands being inhabited by hunter-gatherers who relied primarily on gathering fish, especially shellfish, from the sea. The remains of the shellfish were deposited in large shell-middens that are very useful to archaeologists.

In Japan, the Final Jomon Period cultural period was in progress around the time period of 1000BC. This period sees more elaborate pottery being created, but also sees the beginning of stagnation and population decline. It is possible that the hunter-gatherers of Japan were finally beginning to exhaust the land. This is of course speculation. There could be other reasons for the apparent drop in population. Perhaps the sites that have been excavated have not been representative of the Final Jomon settlements.

Liaoning type
bronze dagger

The cultural phase in Korea around the time of 1000BC was known as the Early Mumun Period. This is another archaeological term, and is named after a particular type of pottery vessel that is quite typical of the time. This period was a gradual evolution from the Late Jeulmun and saw the same trends continue. Agriculture was practiced, but not intensively. Extended families would cultivate a small plot of land to grow some foodstuffs, augmenting their diet with hunter-gathering and fishing. Once the land had been exhausted they would move on to another patch of land nearby. This type of agriculture did not permit high population levels so the Korean Peninsula was still fairly sparsely populated.

After a number of centuries the farming practices changed to allow small villages to emerge, which were then probably ruled by chieftains. The important people of these villages began to be buried in megalithic graves. In certain ways, Korea looked quite similar to the Late Neolithic in parts of Ireland, or other parts of Europe or Asia, and one of the types of grave, the dolmen grave, would be seen in Korea as well. Korea would go on to have the largest concentration of dolmens in the world but this would happen later.

Not much more can be said for the next few centuries save that around the century of the 1000’s BC, a Chinese prince is said to have come to Korea. Supposedly a descendant of the conquered Shang Dynasty, named Jizi in later Chinese records or Gija in later Korean records, came to Korea. He was then said to have either founded a kingdom named Gija Joseon or to have been granted lands by the Gojoseon ruler. Gija was said to have brought Chinese learning, culture and technology to Korea. Later Korean writers have disagreed with this on nationalist grounds, arguing that this story was a later legend that was meant to bring Korea under the hegemony of China. This might well have been the case. But the main thing to remember is that there is no archaeological evidence of either the Gojoseon or the Gija Joseon kingdoms at this time.

Dolmens in Korea

Around the mid-900’s BC bronze implements and weapons appear in Korea and the Bronze Age in the region is generally dated to around this time. However, it is not clear if this new metalworking technology brought any political centralisation. There is no real evidence for the kingdoms that are said to flourish in Manchuria and the northern regions of the Korean Peninsula at this time.

Around the year 900BC some believe that the Yayoi people came to Japan. The Yayoi were farmers who brought wet-rice agriculture to Japan. They probably came from outside the Japanese archipelago, most probably from the southern part of the Korean Peninsula. However, it is far from certain that the Yayoi were in Japan at this point. The more traditional date for the beginning of the Yayoi Period is 600 years later, and I am somewhat sceptical that the original dates could have been so wildly wrong. I do not think the Yayoi people were yet in Japan at this point, but I did want to mention that there is a possibility that they might have been.

Dolmen in Korea

Around the mid-800’s BC, the Early Mumun Period in Korea ended and the Middle Mumun Period began. The Middle Mumun Period saw large scale agricultural output and wet-rice farming. The social elites were now buried under dolmen tombs. The Korean Peninsula holds more dolmens than any other similarly sized region on earth. Bronze and jade artefacts were buried with these elites.

The period is also sometimes known as the Songguk-ri Period, after excavations at an important site, called Songguk-ri. This is the type-site for the Middle Mumun Period and seems to have been the headquarters of a chieftain. The settlement was protected with a wooden palisade, suggesting that warfare was known at this time.

Around the century of the 700’s BC the Liaoning Bronze Daggers are found in the regions of eastern Manchuria and the Korean Peninsula. These were daggers that were held as high status items by the cultures in the region. They appear to be locally produced rather than imported and their early distribution roughly matches the conjectured boundaries of the later kingdom of Gojoseon, suggesting that the Gojoseon kingdom may have been in at least partial existence at this time.

Dolmen in Korea

According to traditional Japanese history the first Japanese emperor, Jimmu Tenno, began to regin in the year 660BC. He is said to have ruled until his death in 585BC. This information is taken from a much, much later work called the Kojiki. There is no contemporary evidence of his existence and the archaeological context does not support the hypothesis of a society with emperors. It is probable that this time was still in the Final Jomon Period and that agriculture was not yet known on the Japanese islands. Jimmu Tenno is probably legendary, but no harm to mention the traditional dates. Again, it must be noted that there is a dating controversy over the beginning date of the Yayoi Period, with some placing from 1000BC, others at around 500BC, while the previously unanimous date given was 300BC. In theory, if the Yayoi Period was to be dated earlier, it would make the Jimmu Tenno legend more plausible, but it would still be rather unlikely.

Liaoning daggers

Around the mid-600’s BC the Middle Mumun tribal leaders, who buried their dead in dolmens, created a particularly impressive set of dolmens near the present day region of Gochang. This site contains a staggering 442 dolmens.

Around the mid-500’s BC the Middle Mumun Period in Korea is said to have come to an end and replaced by the Late Mumun Period. The Late Mumun Period saw much greater fortifications surrounding the settlements on the Korean Peninsula at this time and it is hypothesised that there was an increase in warfare at this time.

And thus the period comes to a close. The Japanese archipelago was still populated by the hunter-gatherer culture of the Final Jomon Period, although there is speculation that the Yayoi culture had arrived in Japan at that time. In Korea, the Bronze Age had well and truly begun and there are clear signs that the population was becoming urbanised although it is not entirely clear if there were organised kingdoms on the peninsula. It is likely that there was a kingdom called Gojoseon in the northern regions of the peninsula, but it is difficult to prove.

Jomon Period Vase

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