• The earliest communities in _____ dated to around 35, 000 years ago based on archaeological evidence. The earliest historical period of _____, from 14,500 to 300 BCE, was known as the Jomon Period.
• During this period, the islands were inhabited by groups of people with a hunting-gathering lifestyle.V
• Around 2500 BCE, small-scale agriculture was practiced and evidence of a sedentary lifestyle was seen in the remains of ancient pit houses. Improvements were seen in pottery and communities also began to produce lacquerware.

• Japan

• Yayoi Period

• Pottery

• Kofun Period

• key-hole

• The ancient Japanese communities experienced several cultural and technological developments during the _____, from 300 BCE to 250 CE.
• During this time, permanent farming villages emerged. The societies that lived in these ancient villages developed a hierarchical social structure.

• Japan

• Yayoi Period

• Pottery

• Kofun Period

• key-hole

• _____ was now made using a potter's wheel and featured simpler designs; metallurgy improved, iron was widely used at around 100 CE; and paddy rice farming was widespread.

• Japan

• Yayoi Period

• Pottery

• Kofun Period

• key-hole

• The succeeding periods in Japan's history led to the development of cultural traits that distinguished Japan from other civilizations in the Far East.
• The _____ (250-538 CE) was distinguished for the construction of distinctive burial mounds called kofun, and almost 20,000 of them were built throughout Japan.
• These mounds of varied shapes and sizes were used to inter the remains of nobility.

• Japan

• Yayoi Period

• Pottery

• Kofun Period

• key-hole

• The largest kofun belonged to the earliest rulers of Japan and featured a distinctive "_____" shape. Burial goods recovered from the kofun included gold and bronze jewelry, iron weapons, and glass vessels.
• The widespread construction of the kofun points to a shared culture among the people of Japan.

• Japan

• Yayoi Period

• Pottery

• Kofun Period

• key-hole

• During the Kofun Period, the Japanese state structure began to take shape. The _____, the predominant clan in the mainland, began to expand its influence throughout the islands.
• The _____s founded the imperial dynasty that became the longest existing imperial house in modern times.
• The _____ dynasty controlled vast areas in the southwest regions of the archipelago.

• Yamato

• Shinto

• torii

• Asuka Period

• Daoism

• The native _____ belief system was a predominant cultural feature during the Kofun period.
• _____ developed from native spiritual practices which date back to the Jomon period.

• The central concept in _____ is the kami, which refers to spirits or natural forces found in all things.

• Yamato

• Shinto

• torii

• Asuka Period

• Daoism

• Places with sacred spiritual quality were considered shrines, and temples were constructed near them.
• A distinct feature of Shinto shrines is the _____, a gate that indicates the separation between the sacred space within the shrine and the outside world.

• Yamato

• Shinto

• torii

• Asuka Period

• Daoism

• Great social, political, and cultural transformations occurred during the _____ (538-710 CE). The Yamato dynasty firmly established its rule over most of Japan

• Around 531 CE, the dynasty adopted Confucian principles. The Japanese rulers increasingly sought equality with their neighboring empires, and the ruling monarchs began to refer to themselves as divine beings.
• In 646 CE, a series of reforms were implemented to reorganize the government. A code of laws was introduced, and a land redistribution program was implemented.

• Yamato

• Shinto

• torii

• Asuka Period

• Daoism

• The Yamato dynasty supported the study of Buddhism and Confucianism, and many Buddhist temples were built throughout Japan.
• _____ also had a considerable influence in Japanese culture, and aspects of these belief systems were incorporated into the native Shinto religion.
• These cultural developments were reflected in the kofun, as government reforms instituted and regulated the sizes and shapes of the burial mounds. Kofun made around 600 CE were simpler, and featured frescoes reflecting Buddhist and Confucian influences.

• Yamato

• Shinto

• torii

• Asuka Period

• Daoism