Who Was When

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Yayoi period弥生

East Asia & PacificHeartland today: Japan

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Meanwhile…

Irrigated rice reached the Japanese islands from the Korean peninsula, bronze and iron came into use, villages grew into walled and moated towns, and Chinese records name the queen Himiko. The start date is disputed, from about 1000 to 300 BCE.

Also alive at the same time

Key events

  1. Wet-rice farming reaches northern Kyushu from the Korean peninsulaDisputed

    Radiocarbon dates suggest about 1000 to 800 BCE. The older view puts it near 400 BCE, which is where the Jōmon site guide places it. The start year here is the middle of the radiocarbon range.

  2. – Yoshinogari in Saga grows into one of the largest moated villages of the Yayoi period
  3. – Villagers at Kamo-Iwakura in Shimane bury 39 bronze bells, many of them nested in pairs, the largest single find of bells in JapanDisputed

    The museum dates the bells to about the 1st century. Why they were buried is unknown. The museum says one of several proposals is offerings to deities.

  4. Emperor Guangwu of Han gives a gold seal to the king of Na in Wa, found in 1784 on Shikanoshima
  5. Queen Himiko of Wa sends an embassy to the Wei court and receives a gold seal and bronze mirrorsDisputed

    The Chinese record Wei Zhi dates the embassy to 238, and the Nihon Shoki dates it to 239. Scholars place Yamatai either in the Nara basin or in northern Kyushu.