T
he Japanese archipelago (MAP8-1) consists of four main islands—Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and
Kyushu—and hundreds of smaller ones, a surprising number of them inhabited. Over the centuries,
the Japanese have demonstrated a remarkable ability to surmount geographical challenges, such as Japan’s
mountainous island terrain that makes travel and communication difficult. Japanese culture, however,
does not reveal the isolation typical of some island civilizations but rather reflects a responsiveness to
imported ideas, such as Buddhism and Chinese writing systems, that filtered in from continental eastern
Asia. Acknowledging this responsiveness to mainland influences does not suggest that Japan simply ab-
sorbed these imported ideas and practices. Indeed, throughout its history, Japan has developed a truly
distinct culture. Ultimately, Japan’s close proximity to the continent has promoted extensive exchange with
mainland cultures, but the sea has helped protect it from outright invasions and allowed it to develop an
individual and unique character.Japan before Buddhism
The introduction of Buddhism to Japan in 552 CEso profoundly changed the character of Japanese art
and architecture that art historians traditionally divide the early history of art in Japan into pre-Buddhist
and Buddhist eras.Jomon and Yayoi Periods
Japan’s earliest distinct culture, the Jomon (ca. 10,500–300 BCE), emerged roughly 10,000 years before the
Buddha’s birth. The term jomon (“cord markings”) refers to the technique Japanese potters of this era
used to decorate earthenware vessels. The Jomon people were hunter-gatherers, but unlike most hunter-
gatherer societies, which were nomadic, the Jomon enjoyed surprisingly settled lives. Their villages con-
sisted of pit dwellings—shallow round excavations with raised earthen rims and thatched roofs. Their set-
tled existence permitted the Jomon people to develop distinctive ceramic technology, even before their8