Secondary burials of Ancient Japan in Jomon and Yayoi

The practice of performing secondary burials has been known in the territory of the Japanese islands for several epochs. During the Jomon period (13,000-400 BC), there were several types of reburials. First, these are burials in caves in earthen pits, and second, burials in ceramic dogu jars. The finds of two burial pits in the Yosekura rock shelter, dating back to the late Jomon period, and analysis of the materials revealed that the reburial was carried out four times. The number of those buried testifies to the use of the grave pits for a long time and, probably, for the inhabitants of several caves. At the end of the Jomon period, dogu jar burials appear in the eastern Japan. In such burials, burnt bones of newborns and infants were found, which allows us to conclude that jars were used to bury children. During the Yayoi period (the 10th century BC to the 3rd century AD), the practice of secondary burials also occurs. During the transitional stage from Jomon to Yayoi, secondary burials in ceramic vessels are known. Burials in jars with anthropomorphic images from the Ibaraki Prefecture can be considered a special manifestation of the tradition. Similar burials are located within a compact territory, which may indicate a combination of traditions of the past and new eras within a certain population group. By the end of the Yayoi period, there is a decrease in the size of settlements, the appearance of a large number of burial complexes, which is associated with a change in lifestyle, including under the influence of migration flows from the continent. The population came primarily from the territory of the Korean Peninsula, in addition to new occupations, also brought representations of the world, which, combined with local tradition, influenced the change in rituals.