Jomon hot spot: increasing sedentism in south-western Japan in the Incipient Jomon (14,000–9250 cal. bc) and Earliest Jomon (9250–5300 cal. bc) periods

Abstract

The earliest postulated sedentary villages in Japan have been found in southern Kagoshima Prefecture, Kyushu Island. The Incipient Jomon period site of Sojiyama, dated to around 13,500 bp is thought to be a wintering site, while Kakoinohara, of similar date, is thought to have been occupied throughout the summer. The Earliest Jomon period site of Kakuriyama, Kaseda City dated to around 9800 cal. bp, is thought to have been occupied throughout the year. The village sites of Uenohara Section 4 (c. 12,800 bp) and Uenohara Section 3 (9500 to 8250–7400 bp) show further steps toward sedentism with more numerous house pits, greater quantities of highly decorated pottery and more substantial and durable site features. The early development of sedentism in south-western Japan is associated with a warming trend in which deciduous nut-bearing trees replaced a coniferous forest. This warming trend began first in south-western Japan and progressed to the north east. A second vegetational change (from 12,000 to 9000 cal. bp) brought a gradual increase in broadleaf evergreen forest with even more productive species of nut-bearing trees. Local archaeologists have postulated that there was some stress associated with the shift from the hunting of large Pleistocene mammals to small mammals and plant foods. The availability of nuts is thought to have enabled the growth of a storage economy which supported substantial villages and led to the production of decorated pottery, personal ornaments and ritual objects. In this paper I discuss the major sites and archaeological markers of sedentism, the chronological framework and main factors in the adoption of a sedentary way of life in southern Kyushu. I question whether the interpretation of increasing sedentism is as straightforward as it is presented. Actual 14C dates are recalibrated using the INTCAL curve. Estimated dates are based on recalibrated dates.