On the Non-Ceramic Culture in Japan

Abstract

Until 1949 when TADAHIRO AIZAWA noticed possible existence of non-ceramic industries in Japan on basis of findings at a site near Kiryu in Kanto district, it had been said that oldest culture in Japan was Jomon culture characterlized by Jomon pottery. At site, stone implements were found in a formation called the Kanto loam layer which was presumably formed near end of Pleistocene period. Thereafter many students including author have made efforts to collect more data on subject in all parts of country. We may summarize results obtained up to present as follows.The non-ceramic culture in Japan seems to have lasted for a relatively long time, because there are several distinguishable industries in it which can be recognized by technological characteristics of stone implements. Typological as well as stratigraphical studies made it possible to classify following six different industries:(1) Hand-axe plus Blade industry(2) Blade industry (capable of more detailed classification)(3) Knife-blade industry(4) Kiridashi-shaped Knife-blade industry(5) Point industry(6) Microlithic industryThese industries, except for (3) and (4) seem to have spread over almost all country. From chronological point of view industries presumably occured one after another, following above mentioned sequence from (1) to (6), of which (1) to (5) probably belong to Late Pleistocene and (6) belongs to earliest part of Holocene. According to radiocarbon dates beginning of Jomon culture is estimated to be between 4000 and 5000 B. C., and industries from (1) to (5) are comparable to Palaeolithic and industry (6) to Mesolithic in Europe.