縄文人の夢：太陽の昇る方角を目指してDream of the Jomon People
The “Jomon period” (縄文時代), a historical era unique to Japan, remains largely shrouded in mystery, yet its characteristics continue to profoundly influence contemporary Japanese people. Personally, from the time I began independently researching Japan eight years ago, I became most deeply engrossed in investigating the Jomon period. Today, my research extends beyond the Jomon era, delving deeply into the subsequent “Yayoi period” (弥生時代) based on my comprehensive understanding of Japan’s deeper history.
Recently, my interest has shifted toward examining and contemplating precisely what occurred in the ancient past, specifically within the transitional gap between the Yayoi period and the succeeding “Kofun period” (古墳時代), which can be considered a pivotal intersection.
These historical eras remain almost unknown outside Japan, and even domestically, their full scope has yet to be fully elucidated. Therefore, it is notably challenging for readers to grasp the characteristics of these periods. For instance, the transition from the Jomon to the Yayoi period was originally thought to have occurred around 300 BCE. However, recent scholarship has finally acknowledged that this perspective was significantly erroneous, revising the start of the Yayoi period to approximately 1000 BCE. Furthermore, current cultural anthropological insights derived from advanced genetic analyses position the Jomon people as having unique genetic traits scarcely observed in other East Asian populations, attracting considerable attention toward these ancestors who developed their distinctive culture.
The origins of the Jomon people remain enigmatic, though one hypothesis suggests they belong to the “Basal” lineage within East Asian and Northeast Asian genetic groups, implying that the ancestral Jomon population diverged earlier than other East Eurasian groups, possibly migrating earliest to the Japanese archipelago. Seen differently, the Jomon people represent the earliest group of modern humans who primarily journeyed northward via coastal routes from Southeast Asia through East Asia. As a result, Jomon genomes display significant genetic similarities with indigenous Taiwanese populations.
Even long before the advent of genetic analysis technology, scholars had hypothesized two major migration routes for Jomon ancestors into the Japanese archipelago, commonly referred to as the Southern and Northern routes. Genetic analyses largely support earlier assumptions regarding the Southern route. However, I personally question the overly simplistic view of migration as proceeding solely from the south (Southeast Asia → East Asian coastal areas, including Taiwan → the Japanese archipelago). Rather, we must also consider the possibility that migration to Taiwan might have been a result of southward movements from Jomon populations already residing in Japan. Based on comprehensive research into ancient traditions and myths, I personally regard this scenario as representing the more accurate migration route.
Additionally, it is critical to contemplate the possibility that the ancestral Jomon populations did not simply migrate to Japan through Southeast Asia but rather diverged from southern Eurasian groups around Central Asia into northern and southern branches. Although the exact ancestral population of the Jomon remains unknown, if humanity’s historical migration from Africa across Eurasia is accurate, the ancestors of the Jomon people likely led humanity’s eastward expansion, continually pushing toward the “East.” Over the years, I have come to believe this relentless drive toward the East holds an essential key to understanding the nature of the Jomon.
Conventionally, it has been argued that these ancestral populations moved eastward following the migrations of large animals like mammoths. While partially valid, I find this viewpoint deeply influenced by a persistent historical bias that portrays these ancestors merely as primitive hunter-gatherer tribes. Instead, I have given considerable attention to the “Sun.” My interpretation suggests that the Jomon people were an unusual community who persistently moved in the direction of the rising sun. Viewed through a modern lens, this behavior marks them as bold explorers heading courageously into unknown territories, demonstrating remarkable adaptability and exceptional survival skills across varied environments.
And while conducting nationwide research into traces of the Jomon period, I arrived at a particularly intriguing hypothesis. The ancestral groups that kept moving eastward, following the direction of the rising sun, continued their journey even after reaching the Japanese archipelago. However, to the east of Japan lay the vast Pacific Ocean, beyond which is the North American continent. The Jomon people persistently aimed eastward, exploring every corner of the Japanese islands, until they eventually realized that further progress eastward was impossible. Naturally, as the distant North American continent was invisible from the Pacific coast, Japan’s earliest ancestors likely accepted that this was as far east as one could possibly reach.
During the Last Glacial Maximum, approximately 20,000 to 18,000 years ago, sea levels dropped by about 120 to 130 meters compared to today, allowing these ancestral populations to walk directly from Eurasia to the Japanese archipelago. The most feasible route was the “Northern Route,” passing through Siberia, Sakhalin, and into Hokkaido, while the other was the “Western Route,” from the Korean Peninsula through Tsushima and Iki islands to northern Kyushu. While the Northern Route allowed direct passage on foot, the Western Route, unlike today, did not involve crossing a deep Sea of Japan, as the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Tsushima were shallow enough to enable passage either by foot or by simple rafts between islands.
In contrast, the “Southern Route,” extending from Taiwan through Okinawa to southern Kyushu, already involved sea navigation, requiring considerably advanced maritime technology. Debate continues about the maritime capabilities of the Jomon people, but realistically, migrations primarily came from the Northern and Western routes.
Once these ancestral groups arrived on the Japanese archipelago, the end of the ice age brought significant warming. Consequently, accessing Japan from Eurasia now necessitated sea crossings, and between approximately 10,000 and 5,000 years ago, the rapid rise in sea levels known as the “Jomon Transgression” (縄文海進, Jomon Kaishin) dramatically changed the situation. Research indicates that during this transgression, sea levels were on average about 2-5 meters higher than present, reaching as much as 6-7 meters in some regions—a critical perspective.
This is significant because modern Japanese cities predominantly occupy coastal basins, areas that, without exception, were underwater at certain points during the Jomon period. Thus, the ancient Japanese islands presented a unique landscape, surrounded by deep seas with rugged mountain ranges abruptly rising in every direction. Due to rapid environmental changes resulting from drastic climate shifts, the Jomon people were compelled to develop new survival capabilities, moving continuously across the archipelago to explore possibilities for sustaining their existence.
What emotions did our ancestors experience upon realizing they could no longer move eastward? Does the determination of the Jomon people, encoded within our genes, still push us toward the rising sun today? Indeed, the presence of the sun in Japan’s national flag may actually reflect the ancestral dream held since the Jomon era. Notably, the pre-World War II Japanese flag explicitly depicted the rising sun, unlike today’s version.
Subsequently, isolated by the sea, the Jomon people are believed to have lived in prolonged isolation without significant interaction with other populations, cultivating a unique culture within this distinctive environment. However, climate fluctuations continued even afterward, and these environmental changes had a substantial influence on the characteristics of the Jomon period, providing vital clues to unravel this enigmatic era.
How, then, has Japan viewed the mysterious Jomon people and the nature of their ancestral culture over time? The key to answering this question lies precisely in the “Jomon pottery” (縄文土器), which gave the period its name.