Early Settlers
The earliest people of Japan came from northeast Asia between 30,000 B.C.- 10,000 B.C. At the time, Japan was joined together with the Asian continent. The people hunted animals and gathered wild plants. They lived in pits dug into the ground and used fire and stone tools. A new group of people called the Yayoi appeared in 300 B.C. They were the ancestors of the Japanese people.They introduced many things to Japan that they possibly learned from the Chinese or Koreans. In A.D. 300, the Yayoi had split into clans. The clans were headed by small groups of warriors that protected people in return for land. The rest of the people were farmers, artisans, and servants.
The Yamato
A clan came in during the A.D. 500s named the Yamato. They were strong enough to rule Japan and took over. The other clans still had land, but gave their loyalty to the Yamato chief. A Yamato leader named Jimmu took the title "emperor of heaven". He was Japan's first emperor. His descendents ruled Japan for over 1,500 years, even to this day.