The History of Ironware in Japan Revealed by the AMS-carbon 14 Age Method

Abstract

This paper focuses on the influence what the AMS-carbon 14 age method attains to the history of the iron in the Japanese Islands.
The research team in National Museum of Japanese History makes a clear that the Yayoi period began in 10 Cen. cal BC. However, there was a problem in this.
It is iron. If the Yayoi period has started in the 10th Cen. BC, it means that the ironware in Japanese Islands had spread early rather than it spreads in China.
The research team reexamined the ironware excavated from Magarita site in the Fukuoka Pref. considered to be the oldest ironware in Japan. Consequently, the excavation situation was indefinite and it turned out that we cannot specify the time to belong.
Furthermore, 36 ironwares in the initial and early Yayoi were also already found by that time cannot be specified except for two points. Therefore, it turned out that Japanese ironware appeared in the 3rd century of B.C. What does this mean?
Although it had been thought that the beginning of agriculture in Japan and the appearance of ironware were simultaneous, it turned out that agriculture has appeared early about in 700 years. Therefore, it became clear that agriculture of Japan started at the Stone Age.