History of Ancient Japan: From Jōmon to Nara
The history of ancient Japan covers five periods — from Jōmon to Nara — that is, from the first settlements on the archipelago up to about 794, when Heian-kyō became the capital. The first centuries are known only from excavations, while from the 8th century written chronicles appear as well — the Kojiki of 712 and the Nihon Shoki of 720 — which tell of the same era in words rather than potsherds.
The history of ancient Japan actually has two sources, and they do not always agree with each other: what archaeologists found in the ground, and what the ancient Japanese themselves recorded about themselves a millennium and a half ago. Below are both views side by side: five periods according to excavations, and what the country's first written chronicles say about them (or about what came before).
Which periods are included in ancient Japan
The history of Japan from ancient times is divided into five periods: Jōmon, Yayoi, Kofun, Asuka, and Nara — from the first settlements of hunter-gatherers to the construction of the first permanent capital in 710. For the first three periods there are almost no written sources: only what archaeologists found — pottery, burial mounds, tools. Asuka and Nara are a different matter: Buddhism, kanji writing, and the first chronicles arrive, telling of their own past in words rather than finds.
| Period | Kanji | Years | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jōmon | 縄文時代 | c. 14,000 – 300 BCE | Hunting and gathering, pottery with cord-marked ornament |
| Yayoi | 弥生時代 | 300 BCE – 250 CE | Wet-rice agriculture, metal, first proto-states |
| Kofun | 古墳時代 | 250–538 | Kofun burial mounds, unification of the country under Yamato rule |
| Asuka | 飛鳥時代 | 538–710 | Arrival of Buddhism, first ritsuryō law code |
| Nara | 奈良時代 | 710–794 | First permanent capital, the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki chronicles |
What archaeology tells us and what written chronicles tell us
Almost everything about Jōmon, Yayoi, and Kofun is known from excavations: settlements, pottery, burial mounds, not eyewitness accounts. The first written chronicles appeared only at the beginning of the 8th century, already after the fact. The Kojiki (712) collected oral traditions and the genealogy of the imperial house in a mixture of Chinese characters and Japanese language. The Nihon Shoki (720) presented a more official version of the same events in classical Chinese — modeled on Chinese dynastic chronicles, for the prestige of the country. Both chronicles cover mythical antiquity and events up to the 7th century — that is, their authors also wrote not from personal memories but relying on traditions, clan records, and probably lost earlier texts.
Where to start: five eras in order
- Jōmon — pottery with cord impressions, from which the period got its name, and life without agriculture for almost fourteen millennia in a row.
- Yayoi — wet-rice agriculture from the continent, the first metal tools, and the first proto-states.
- Kofun — burial mounds of the nobility sometimes hundreds of meters long, and the gradual unification of lands under the Yamato clan.
- Asuka — official adoption of Buddhism, the first written ritsuryō law code, and the reforms of Prince Shōtoku.
- Nara — the first permanent capital (the city of Heijō-kyō, present-day Nara), Tōdai-ji temple with its giant Buddha statue, and the country's first written chronicles.
The Jōmon period: why it is so long
The Jōmon period stretched over many millennia — by various estimates from 14,000 to 300 BCE, that is, longer than all the other periods combined. It got its name from the cord-marked pottery (縄文, "jōmon", literally "cord pattern") that Japanese potters made throughout almost all of this time. Such length is not a sign that nothing happened: it is simply that without writing and without a change of power, historians cannot divide the period into smaller stages the way they can for later centuries. The divisions within Jōmon rest on gradual changes in the shape of pottery and tools, not on events that can be dated to an exact year.
Name and kanji: 古代
古代 is read こだい: 古 "old, ancient" and 代 "era, generation" together give "antiquity". The word is not tied specifically to Japan — it is used for the antiquity of any country, and if the talk is about Japanese antiquity specifically, that is usually clear from context or the word 日本 "Japan" is added before it.
古 — значение: old, ancient, former — онъёми: コ — кунъёми: ふる.い、ふる- — 5 штрих(ов). 古 — "old, ancient, former": 5 strokes, N4-level character. The same root is in 古代 (kodai, "antiquity") and 古い (furui, "old").
| Japanese | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 古代 | kodai · kodai | Antiquity — a general name for the earliest periods |
| 縄文時代 | Jōmon jidai · Jōmon jidai | Jōmon period |
| 弥生時代 | Yayoi jidai · Yayoi jidai | Yayoi period |
| 神話 | shinwa · shinwa | Myth, mythology |
| 遺跡 | iseki · iseki | Archaeological site, excavation site |
| 古い | furui · furui | Old |
Write 古 along the guides — the character for "ancient" from 古代.
Why 古 has two different readings
In the word 古代, 古 is read こ — this is the on'yomi reading, which came from China along with the character itself. On its own, without other characters, the same kanji is read in Japanese: ふるい, furui, "old". This double reading is the norm for most kanji: on'yomi is used in compound words of several characters, kun'yomi when the character stands alone, often with a hiragana ending.
Where ancient Japan appears in anime and games
There are almost no direct adaptations of Jōmon, Yayoi, or Kofun — there are too few sources about the lives of people in those centuries for a full-fledged plot. But individual figures and myths of this time still make it to the screen and into games.
- Neko Neko Nihonshi (2016–2021, NHK) — a comedy series in which historical figures, including the ruler Himiko, are drawn as cats.
- Fate/Grand Order — among the summonable "servants" in the game are Yamato Takeru, the legendary prince of the Kofun period, and Himiko, the shamaness-ruler of the 3rd-century kingdom of Yamatai.
FAQ
- What is called the history of ancient Japan?
- The history of ancient Japan refers to the period from the appearance of the first people on the archipelago up to about 794: five eras from Jōmon to Nara. The first three are known almost exclusively from excavations, the last two also from the written chronicles Kojiki and Nihon Shoki.
- How is the history of Japan from ancient times structured?
- From ancient times it is divided into five periods: Jōmon (hunting and gathering), Yayoi (rice agriculture), Kofun (burial mounds and unification under Yamato), Asuka (arrival of Buddhism), and Nara (first permanent capital, first written chronicles).
- When was the Jōmon period?
- Roughly from 14,000 to 300 BCE — historians disagree on the exact boundaries, but agree that it is the longest era in Japanese history. It got its name from cord-marked pottery (縄文), which was made throughout almost the entire period.
- How does the Kojiki differ from the Nihon Shoki?
- Both chronicles were written in the early 8th century and retell the same myths, but differently. The Kojiki (712) is in a mixture of Chinese characters and Japanese language, for an internal reader; the Nihon Shoki (720) is in classical Chinese, modeled on Chinese chronicles, for external prestige.
- How is "antiquity" written in Japanese?
- 古代, read こだい (kodai): 古 — "old, ancient", 代 — "era, generation". The word is not tied specifically to Japan — it is used for the antiquity of any country, and the Japanese context is usually clear from the conversation.
- Are there anime about ancient Japan?
- There are few direct adaptations — there are almost no sources about the lives of those centuries. But historical figures of this time, such as the ruler Himiko, appear in the comedy series Neko Neko Nihonshi and in the game Fate/Grand Order.
Sources
Updated: 2026-09-11