The Yayoi period (ca. 400 BCE to 250 CE). The period is marked by the establishment of rice cultivation and an agrarian society. Society was hierarchical, with shifting alliances and centers of power. This change from hunter-gatherer *Jōmon jidai 縄文時代 is believed to have been influenced by a complex process of new migrations from the Asian continent as well as local adaptation. The name of the period originates from the area of Tokyo called Yayoichō 弥生町, where pottery of this period Yayoishiki doki 弥生式土器 was first discovered and identified in the 19th century.
Yayoi pottery was fired at higher temperatures in ventilated kilns in Kyūshū 九州. Many Yayoi vessels are smooth and symmetrical. Rather than the earlier cord decorations, surface patterns were made with a wooden stick or comb. Asian continental influences during this period brought major societal and technological advances, including the establishment of communities and metal forging, particularly of bronze bells and weapons for ritual use.