Evidence of increasing functional differentiation in pottery use among Late Holocene maritime foragers in northern Japan

Starch granules from human teeth: New clues on the Epi-Jomon diet

“…After rice farming began in Honshu, various social changes occurred, including the location and structure of settlements, interaction with hunter-fishers, and rituals (Shitara, 2014;Mizoguchi, 2020). In Hokkaido, people continued the tradition of hunting and gathering, and fishermen introduced various elements of Yayoi culture (metal tools, ornaments, and burial systems), diverging from the lifeways of the Final Jomon period (Crawford, 2011(Crawford, , 2018Junno et al, 2020;Aono, 2021). Thereafter, differences and some exchanges in the Yayoi and Epi-Jomon cultures may have developed, even in the utilization of plant resources.…”

“…In addition, Epi-Jomon sites comprise a mixture of burials and evidence of short-term occupations. This culture consisted of seasonally mobile forager communities with gradually declining demographics and moderate social differentiation (Junno et al, 2020). These short-term occupations are evidenced by few artifact deposits and burned structural remains, together with concentrations of faunal and plant remains (Crawford and Takamiya, 1990;Takase, 2014;Abe et al, 2016).…”

Reconstruction of diachronic changes in human fishing activity and marine ecosystems from carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios of archaeological fish remains

“…Marine organisms were important food sources for humans in Hokkaido, northern Japan, since at least the beginning of the Holocene (Figure 1). A large amount of excavated bones of marine fish and mammals, diverse fishing gear (e.g., fish hooks, harpoons, and net sinkers), stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios of human skeletons, and lipid residues in pottery all indicate a reliance of marine food sources in prehistoric Hokkaido people from the Jomon to Ainu periods (e.g., Junno et al 2020;Lucquin et al 2018;Naito et al 2010aNaito et al , 2010bNomura & Utagawa 2003;Robson et al 2020;Takase 2020;Tsutaya et al 2013Tsutaya et al , 2014. The Epi-Jomon and Okhotsk periods witnessed particularly high reliance on marine foods, and so potentially had more pronounced effects on nearshore marine ecosystems, compared with previous time periods in Hokkaido.…”

Walnuts, salmon and sika deer: Exploring the evolution and diversification of Jōmon “culinary” traditions in prehistoric Hokkaidō

“…Our new results confirm that a similar pattern existed at both coastal and inland sites throughout Hokkaidō, with pottery used for the processing of aquatic resources well into the Holocene, and also through to the Final Jōmon at inland sites in the Kamikawa Basin. In fact, this relationship may only start to break down much later in Hokkaidō's cultural trajectory (Junno et al, 2020).…”